Science Channel

Science isn’t something that just happens overnight. It takes many measurements, oodles of analysis, re-testing and re-analysis before any groundbreaking announcement can be made. So, on the surface of Mars, inside Gale Crater on a plain called Aeolis Palus, our tenacious six-wheeled Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is doing cutting-edge laboratory work on an alien world and mission scientists are itching to announce a “historic” discovery.

The Romans were one of the most intriguing and powerful civilizations to have ever lived. Now, building on the extraordinary techniques used in Egypt: What Lies Beneath, Dr Sarah Parcak and her team re-harness space-archaeology to discover what the glory of the Roman Empire was really like. With satellite archaeology and high-tech remote-sensing tools at its heart, this epic film peels back the layers of history to literally see Rome in all its magnificence. Culminating in a visually mind-blowing series of CGI revelations, viewers will be able to walk the streets of legend and discover the history of Rome as never before.

Each year, fifty of America's most extraordinary minds go head-to-head in the US Memory Championships in hopes of becoming the next national memory champion. This is not your typical tournament-style event. It's not physical strength, but mental prowess that's on trial in this competition. Many contestants practice all year long to keep their gray matter in tip top shape. Each event is meant to test the participants' ability to remember different kinds of information in a number of ways. For example, the "Speed Cards" event measures the ability to recall numbers and patterns. On the other side of the spectrum, the "Three Strikes You're Out" event tests the ability to remember detailed information about other people - right down to things like their birthday and favorite foods!

Follow the story of Comet ISON — a sungrazer with a potentially deadly fate and on a trajectory to slingshot around the Sun. Premiering Saturday, December 7 at 10PM, the one-hour special presentation features the latest information about this icy rock's journey into the inner solar system. Watch expert analysis from leading scientists, astronomers and amateur stargazers and learn how Comet ISON could be the brightest comet to be observed from Earth - ever - when it approaches the Sun later this month. But one question remains: will it survive its epic journey around the Sun?