‘Nova’ Uncovers Cerebral Secrets

Amid so much news about science run amok--in the form of bioterrorism--PBS’ “Nova” delivers a science report tonight (8 p.m. KCET, KVCR) that is not only interesting but also uplifting.

Interesting because it showcases the work of neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran of UC San Diego, whose exploration of the brain has helped develop new understanding of how the human mind works.

Uplifting because it’s such a pleasure to listen to someone who applies so much passion and intelligence to the pursuit of something positive: information about brain mechanics that can help people who in the past might have been dismissed as mentally unbalanced or simply crazy.

“The human brain,” Ramachandran says, “is without any doubt the most complexly organized form of matter in the universe.” He likens his approach to it to detective work, being presented with a person who has a special problem and then trying to figure out what might be going on in the brain to explain the behavior.

As we see through a variety of cases he’s treated, Ramachandran’s work raises fascinating questions about the mind’s role in registering physical pain, the difference between seeing and comprehending, the link between emotion and our understanding of the world, even whether one part of the brain might be particularly conducive to religious belief.

Much of this work has been previously reported, and Ramachandran is only one of many making significant inroads in brain research, but it’s still satisfying to be reminded just now of the many noble ways that science can be put to use.

This is especially so given that the subject of “Nova’s” Nov. 13 installment will be ... bioterrorism. Sigh.

Surf Report

SERIES

Host Alan Alda talks with Nobel Prize-winning geneticist Jim Watson and the human genome project’s Eric Lander on a new episode of “Scientific American Frontiers” (9 p.m., KCET, KVCR).

Jobless Nora (Vicki Lewis) makes the wrong impression on a prospective employer (guest Wallace Shawn of “My Dinner With Andre” and “The Princess Bride”) on “Three Sisters” (8:30, NBC).

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MOVIES

Brendan Gleeson is “The General” (5:30 and 11:15 p.m., IFC), an Irish mobster fighting to stay two steps ahead of policeman Jon Voight in director John Boorman’s fact-based 1998 drama.

How can you mend a broken heart? Widower David Duchovny and heart-transplant recipient Minnie Driver hope to heal each other’s wounds in the 2000 romance “Return to Me” (8 p.m., Showtime).