National Geographic: Surviving Everest

In a remote corner of the Himalaya, in the forbidden Kingdom of Mustang, mysterious caves, perched high on cliff faces and carved by humans thousands of years ago, have lain just beyond reach — until recently. In April of 2007, a team of climbers and scientists climbed inside the long-hidden chambers for the first time in modern history.

On June 8, 1924, near the summit of the highest peak on earth, British climber George Leigh Mallory vanished into the clouds and instantly became a legendary figure. Did Mallory and his companion actually make it to the top of Everest?

National Geographic Television’s Cave People of the Himalaya features American archaeologist Dr. Mark Aldenderfer’s expedition to explore burial sites of the Upper Mustang region of Nepal. Human remains and artifacts found in these cave tombs provide new insights into the lives and practices of peoples who inhabited this area thousands of years ago. In the 1990s, a high Himalayan cave in Upper Mustang, Nepal was discovered to contain 42 ancient people, buried on wooden bunk beds. 20 years after they were discovered technology has changed, and now, rather than testing for DNA in the marrow of leg bones, scientists tend to search for DNA using teeth. Dr. Mark Aldenderfer uses carbon dating to determine that the burials spanned over 450 years. This indicates these people adapted well to the "high and dry" climate of Nepal's Upper Mustang region, and thrived there for a long time.

A team of scientists and explorers probe high altitude caves in the Tibetan Himalayas.

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes Nepal in April 2015. Scientists race to calculate the impact and devise ways to mitigate future disasters.

PBS' premier science series helps viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines. Along the way, NOVA demystifies science and technology, and highlights the people involved in scientific pursuits.

Nova follows a group of art conservationists to the ancient Buddhist Temples of the Mustang. There they attempt to restore artwork that has been slowly deteriorating with time.

Scientists examine the causes of the 2014 Oso, Washington, landslide, the worst in decades.

In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay made history as the first people to reach the top of Everest. Now, 50 years later, three sons of Everest's most celebrated climbers return to the mountain to challenge it again. Join their journey as they brave the elements and face death to climb 29,000 feet of wind-blasted rock and ice. And, relive the dramatic history of Everest from great triumphs to deadly tragedies, enduring rivalries and the unsung role of the Sherpa people - as National Geographic exposes the untold stories that lurk in the mountain's epic shadow and takes you on THE ultimate Everest experience.

During a season of carnage on Mount Everest, a team of elite climbers attempt to solve the mystery of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine - lost during their record-breaking climb in 1924. Finding Irvine's body could rewrite the history of Mount Everest.