PBS North Carolina Launches Season 8 of 'Sci NC' on September 4
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PBS NORTH CAROLINA LAUNCHES SEASON 8 OF ‘SCI NC’ ON SEPTEMBER 4
From Hurricane Helene recovery efforts and AI-assisted robotics to a new dinosaur discovery, ‘Sci NC’ spotlights the world of science all around us.
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, 8/18/2025 — PBS North Carolina announces season eight of its original series Sci NC. Hosted by Emmy Award-winning reporter Frank Graff, Sci NC explores the fascinating ways science touches our daily lives as well as groundbreaking research and innovation happening across the state. The new season of Sci NC premieres Thursday, September 4, 8:30 PM, on PBS NC as well as online and on the free PBS app.
Season eight of Sci NC opens with surprising science stories, including the mysteries revealed in bird poop and the microbiome living in our sinks. On September 25, Sci NC will examine the lingering effects of Hurricane Helene on western North Carolina and ongoing recovery efforts one year after the storm.
“This season, several Sci NC stories will look at how science touches on iconic North Carolina, from a photographer of black bears on the coast, an archaeology dig in Old Salem and the impact of sea level rise on the Battleship North Carolina to the climate resiliency of Indigenous people,” said Frank Graff, the show’s executive producer and host. “Sci NC will also explore a topic that’s in the news almost daily: artificial intelligence. Specifically, we’ll see how AI is helping researchers create new medicines and design an exoskeleton to help people with physical limitations walk.”
Throughout the season, Sci NC will explore the science you can discover on a casual walk in the woods. “Science isn’t something just being conducted in labs by folks wearing white lab coats,” said Graff. “Science impacts our daily lives, and the Sci NC team is committed to not only showcasing the wide range of science happening all around but also making that science engaging for our audiences. We’re excited to share these stories with everyone across the state, both on air and online.”
Many Sci NC episodes will feature high-speed photography of insects produced by Adrian Smith, who leads the Evolutionary Biology and Behavior Research Lab at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. “We’ll also see how NC brewers are crafting a more climate-friendly beer, attend puppy kindergarten at Duke and, in what’s been a really hot summer, learn about urban heat islands,” added Graff.
Sci NC is supported by a generous bequest gift from Dan Carrigan and the Gaia Earth-Balance Endowment through the Gaston Community Foundation.
“My dad, Dan Carrigan, sought to support programs focused on achieving human-nature balance so that the Earth and its living creatures could sustain for generations to come,” said Lisa Shu. “We are thankful for the educational opportunities through PBS North Carolina that help further this passion and instill wonder for the world around us and all science can do.”
For more science stories from PBS North Carolina, visit pbsnc.org/blogs/science and Sci NC’s YouTube channel.
Broadcast Schedule
Sci NC airs Thursdays at 8 PM on the North Carolina Channel and at 8:30 PM on PBS NC. Visit pbsnc.org/schedule for the latest scheduling information.
Episode 1: Unusual Science
Premieres Thursday, September 4, 8:30 PM
Why scientists are studying bird poop, the world’s fastest backflip and all about the microbes living in your sink. Plus, paleontologists at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh piece together fossil fragments to uncover a new dinosaur.
Episode 2: Recording Science
Premieres Thursday, September 11, 8:30 PM
A wildlife photographer who specializes in black bears, honeybees in slo-mo and a cartographer who creates maps of western NC’s mountains.
Episode 3: Innovation Science
Premieres Thursday, September 18, 8:30 PM
Beetles in slo-mo, AI-assisted exoskeletons that help people walk and a Duke professor whose work in math theory helped create the JPEG file format. Plus, a scientist becomes a hit on social media.
Episode 4: Hurricane Helene Impacts and Recovery
Premieres Thursday, September 25, 8:30 PM
Western NC works on recovery after Hurricane Helene, from debris removal and restoration efforts at Lake Lure to the storm’s long-lasting impact on the forest canopy. And outside Lake Lure, debris removal in rivers and streams is necessary but at what cost to vital river species?
Episode 5: Water Resources
Premieres Thursday, October 2, 8:30 PM
How floodplain restoration can help build resilience to climate change*, plastic-eating bacteria that could solve our plastic pollution crisis and an innovative plan to save the beloved hellbender salamander. Plus, could trained service dogs be replaced by robots?
* This story is part of the Pulitzer Center’s Connected Coastlines, a nationwide climate reporting initiative in coastal states.
Episode 6: Discoveries
Premieres Thursday, October 9, 8:30 PM
The important role amateur astronomers play in making new discoveries, archaeologists search for the remains of a colonial pottery kiln in Old Salem and researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill utilize patients’ DNA to customize cancer treatments. Plus, botanists search forests for the world’s largest longleaf pine.
Episode 7: Our Changing World
Premieres Thursday, October 16, 8:30 PM
Why natural systems may be the key to Battleship North Carolina’s survival against persistent tidal flooding*, how aquaponics can help farmers grow more food in a changing climate and why marshes are the key to a healthy environment. Plus, learn how North Carolina brewers are working to make the industry more sustainable.
* This story is part of the Pulitzer Center’s Connected Coastlines, a nationwide climate reporting initiative in coastal states.
Episode 8: Historical Science
Premieres Thursday, October 23, 8:30 PM
Learn what makes the Outer Banks so deadly and how the Coharie Indian Tribe’s restoration of their namesake river prompted a cultural awakening*. Plus, botanists search for the world’s oldest longleaf pine.
* This story is part of the Pulitzer Center’s Connected Coastlines, a nationwide climate reporting initiative in coastal states.
Episode 9: Wow Science
Premieres Thursday, October 30, 8:30 PM
A look at precision metrology, why artificial light poses hazards to turtles and other coastal creatures and what can be learned about the brain by scanning people as they listen to music. Also, an ancient cypress tree and a close-up look at jumping parasitic wasp cocoons.
Episode 10: Walking Science
Premieres Thursday, November 6, 8:30 PM
Cool discoveries on a wildflower hike, virtual rehab takes injury recovery to a new level, a fallen beech tree helps the forest ecosystem and the science of spiders. Plus, researchers at Duke’s Puppy Kindergarten evaluate puppies before they become service animals.
Episode 11: Science in Unexpected Places
Premieres Thursday, November 13, 8:30 PM
The surprisingly colorful and environmentally important world beneath the surface of NC’s rivers, the role that hemlock trees play in the forest ecosystem and the ethical issues involved with artificial intelligence. Plus, why environmentally friendly “green burials” have grown in popularity.
Episode 12: Problem-Solving Science
Premieres Thursday, November 20, 8:30 PM
How heat acts like a “silent killer” across urban landscapes, and a breeding program that gives endangered gopher frogs a head start. NC State scientists turn hard plastics into a flexible glassy gel that can be used to reduce plastic waste in electronics and medical devices. Plus, how the Cape Fear River helped craft what we now know as Raven Rock State Park and why the park is so special.
Episode 13: People and Nature
Premieres Thursday, November 27, 8:30 PM
How scientists study NC’s coastal black bear population using the hair they leave behind, why whales and dolphins confuse plastic bags for food and the science of insect flight. Also, meet the wasp that might be saving your tomato plants from hornworm caterpillars, and learn how microalgae in windows could save energy.
About PBS North Carolina
As North Carolina’s statewide PBS network serving the country’s third largest public media market, PBS North Carolina educates, informs, entertains and inspires its audience on air, online and in person. Through its unique partnership of public investment and private support, the network includes in-person engagement, digital-first social and online content delivery and four over-the-air channels: PBS NC, the North Carolina Channel, Rootle 24/7 PBS KIDS channel and the Explorer Channel. Its transformational events and content spark curiosity and wonder for all North Carolinians. Additionally, PBS North Carolina serves as the backbone for North Carolina’s state emergency services. To learn more about PBS North Carolina, visit pbsnc.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
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