NOVA
Season 26 Episode 10 - The Perfect Pearl
The pearl—the only gem produced by a living animal—has long carried a certain allure. Yet the best mollusk for making this gem—the pearl oyster—doesn't always produce a pearl, and even then, the pearls are rarely perfectly round. It wasn't until the late nineteenth century, when a Japanese scientist discovered a technique to incite oysters to produce these gems, that an industry was formed. Inducing an oyster to create a pearl is only half the battle—the oyster then needs a nutrient-rich, open environment in which to grow. This NOVA program looks at the science of pearl farming, follows efforts of oyster farmers trying to cope with growing problems of pollution and overcrowding, and considers the shifting sands of dominance within the pearl industry.
Episodes in Season 26
Lost at Sea: The Search for Longitude
55 min
Chasing El Nino
55 min
Terror In Space
55 min
Special Effects: Titanic and Beyond
55 min
Deadly Shadow of Vesuvius
55 min
Ice Mummies: Frozen in Heaven (1)
55 min
Ice Mummies: Siberian Ice Maiden (2)
55 min
Ice Mummies: Return of the Iceman (3)
55 min
Leopards of the Night with David Attenborough
55 min
The Perfect Pearl
55 min
The Beast of Loch Ness
55 min
Submarines, Secrets, and Spies
55 min
Everest: The Mystery of Mallory and Irvin
55 min
Escape! Because Accidents Happen: Fire (1)
55 min
Escape! Because Accidents Happen: Car Crash (2)
55 min
Escape! Because Accidents Happen: Plane Crash (3)
55 min
Escape! Because Accidents Happen: Abandon Ship (4)
55 min
Battle Alert in the Gulf
55 min
Volcanoes of the Deep
55 min
Surviving AIDS
55 min
