As his Parkinson’s symptoms worsen and medications take a toll, Brandan Mehaffie faces a life-altering decision: continue down a difficult path or undergo brain surgery to implant an electrode to stimulate deep areas of his brain, and after an accident leaves Ian Burkhart with complete tetraplegia, he grapples with losing his independence — until he’s offered a chance to participate in a groundbreaking clinical trial using muscle stimulation controlled by a brain implant to help restore movement.

In fourth grade, Ro Moran is thrilled to be trusted with the class pet iguana, Iggy, for the night. But by morning, something is very wrong, and as an exchange student studying superconducting oxides, Karoline Mueller tries to save money by gold-coating a cheap crucible instead of using a solid gold one.

Science educator Charlie Cook experiments with coming out to students, and marine biologist Shayle Matsuda adapts to his new identity as a transgender man while on assignment in the Philippines.

Carlos Maza uses the plague to analyze his brutal breakup, and Panagiota Vogdou refuses to see her boyfriend as toxic until a stranger on the bus tells her to go to therapy.

After years of struggling with their gender identity, Parker Sublette finds inspiration in marine life, and bullied as a kid for the sound of his voice, Garret Glinka begins to reclaim his confidence thanks to biology class.

When Lydia Greene’s infant daughter has a troubling reaction to a routine vaccine and her concerns are dismissed by a healthcare professional, she turns to an online parenting forum for answers, and after moving to a new town and feeling isolated, Sarah Ott looks for connection through talk radio and a local church—only to find herself pulled into a world of climate denial and conspiracy thinking.

Maryam Zaringhalam's scheme to cheat her way into the smart class makes clear a huge flaw in the education system, and on the first day of grad school for her PhD, a fellow student tells Bianca Jones Marlin that she doesn't really belong there.

Stuck in a monsoon on Kauai, Belinda Fu unintentionally ruins a friendship with a classmate, and Matt Storrs blames a dinosaur scientist’s theory for the end of his marriage.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer and opting for bilateral mastectomies, Jenna Dioguardi becomes beholden to her cancer to-do list, and as an 11-year-old kid, Luke Strathmann makes it his life mission to get rich off of Beanie Babies.