The first episode featured segments on hurricane prediction, an engineer’s attempts to engineer every aspect of his life, “booming” desert sands, and — most interesting to me — mirror neurons. Mirror neurons are, in short, the reason we can learn by imitation, the driving force behind human culture, and the biological basis of empathy. If you missed it, check out the ScienceNOW web site for clips, updates, bonus materials, links to further resources, an RSS feed, and even the complete episode in streaming video.

Update: I had thought Nova ScienceNOW was a completely new show; turns out it’s just a recurring feature within the Nova series. Disappointing, but I’ll take what I can get.