WQLN PBS NPR
8425 Peach Street
Erie, PA 16509

Phone
(814) 864-3001

© 2026 PUBLIC BROADCASTING OF NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Would a Penny Dropped from the Empire State Building Kill You?

Season 53 | 5m 52s

For centuries, scientists argued about how objects fall. The answer eventually led to our modern understanding of gravity, acceleration, and drag.

National Corporate funding for NOVA is provided by Carlisle Companies. Major funding for NOVA is provided by the NOVA Science Trust and PBS viewers.
Latest Episodes
Discover the untold story—full of surprising evolutionary leaps—behind every bite we take.
The story of the dolphin reveals how intelligence evolved, step by step, over billions of years.
Inside the escalating military struggle to control space and the satellites we rely on.
Step into the stunning cave that’s reshaping our understanding of prehistoric art.
Witness how Native North Americans have generated scientific knowledge over thousands of years.
Follow the relentless quest that led to a breakthrough treatment for a deadly disease.
Archaeologists investigate the dramatic origins of democracy in ancient Greece 2,500 years ago.
Follow the Artemis mission to bring humanity back to the Moon for the first time since Apollo.
Surprising evidence at the world’s oldest temple overturns our understanding of human history.
A deadly—and growing—global weather phenomenon mystifies scientists.
Extras
Falling cats seem to break the rules of motion, but the real explanation is stranger than it looks.
Physics says the universe is centerless, but a cosmic alignment has scientists asking questions.
Here’s why centrifugal force is considered a “fictitious” force.
The story of the dolphin reveals how intelligence evolved, step by step, over billions of years.
Inside the escalating military struggle to control space and the satellites we rely on.
Step into the stunning cave that’s reshaping our understanding of prehistoric art.
Witness how Native North Americans have generated scientific knowledge over thousands of years.
Follow the relentless quest that led to a breakthrough treatment for a deadly disease.
Inside one mother's fight to ensure a healthy life for her child with cystic fibrosis.
Inside the race to bring life-saving genetic therapies to every person living with cystic fibrosis.
WQLN PBS Passport is a member benefit that provides you with extended access to an on-demand library of quality public television programming!