NOVA Season 41 Episode 17 Synopsis

When it comes to intelligence, we humans are clearly the most gifted animals around. But what make us so special? Is it our ability to make and use tools? To solve complex problems? Or plan for the future? It might seem that way, but today, researchers are discovering other creatures with impressive brains that have mastered all those skills. Surprisingly, many are bird brains. Crows bend and shape sticks to create custom-made spears for hunting grubs, and they are just one among a growing list of bird species whose impressive problem-solving abilities are shocking scientists and revolutionizing our understanding of animal intelligence. At the head of the class, we meet animals like Muppet, a cockatoo with a talent for picking locks; 007, a wild crow on a mission to solve an eight-step puzzle for the first time ever; and Bran, a tame raven who can solve a puzzle box so quickly that his performance has to be captured with high-speed photography. But are these skills really evidence of high intelligence, or just parlor tricks, the result of training and instinct? To find out, NOVA tests the limits of some of the planet's brainiest animals, searching for the secrets of a problem-solving mind.

NOVA Season 41 Episodes...

• s41e01 - Ground Zero Supertower
• s41e02 - Megastorm Aftermath
• s41e03 - Making Stuff Faster
• s41e04 - Making Stuff Wilder
• s41e05 - Making Stuff Colder
• s41e06 - Making Stuff Safer
• s41e07 - Cold Case JFK
• s41e08 - At the Edge of Space
• s41e09 - Asteroid: Doomsday or Payday?
• s41e10 - Alien Planets Revealed
• s41e11 - Zeppelin Terror Attack
• s41e12 - Killer Typhoon
• s41e13 - Ghosts of Murdered Kings
• s41e14 - Roman Catacomb Mystery
• s41e15 - Great Cathedral Mystery
• s41e16 - Wild Predator Invasion
• s41e17 - Inside Animal Minds: Bird Genius
• s41e18 - Inside Animal Minds: Dogs & Super Senses
• s41e19 - Inside Animal Minds: Who's the Smartest?
• s41e20 - Why Sharks Attack
• s41e21 - Escape From Nazi Alcatraz
• s41e22 - D-Day's Sunken Secrets

NOVA Show Summary

Seen in more than 100 countries, NOVA is the most watched science based television series in the world and the most watched documentary series on PBS. It is also one of television's most acclaimed series, having won many major television awards, most of them many times over.