Human Body: Pushing the Limits
- Year:
- 2008
- 3,121 Views
NARRATOR:
Too often,we take our bodies for granted,
but under pressure,
our bodies can show us
how extraordinary
they truly are.
out of millions of years
of evolution.
So intricate,
we're still mystified
by many of the things
going on inside us.
A hidden world,
but one we can now explore
in 3-D as never before.
complex system in our bodies.
Using three-quarters
of our brain power'
when we're challenged,
our eyes focus on the smallest
detail at lightning speed.
They allow us to see
in the dark'
even to see to the magic
of the impossible.
even while we sleep.
And someday, we may be able
to see without our eyes.
That's how extraordinary
when we're pushed to the limits.
[ l ndistinct talking on radio ]
through downtown Los Angeles.
[ Tires screeching ]
Pursuing him is LAPD officer
Stan Berry.
What he's got to do
in this superfast world
is to figure out what matters
and what doesn't
at 1 00 miles an hour.
MAN:
1 4, there's two occupantsin the car.
[ Horn blares ]
NARRATOR:
And to keep up withBERRY:
l need to know aboutthe traffic to the right of me,
traffic coming
to the left of me.
But you also need to focus
on what's ahead of you.
ls there pedestrians
walking down the street?
And then also try to keep up
with the fleeing suspect'
as well.
eyes to let him do just that.
[ Tires screeching ]
NARRATOR:
Many animalsBut in humans, we can do it all.
Like no other creature on Earth,
our vision can distinguish
around 1 0 million colors...
[ Horn blaring ]
...switch focus from infinity
to mere inches
in a fifth of a second...
... pinpoint detail
in the brightest sunshine
or darkest shadow...
...take in a wide-angle view
of almost 1 80 degrees.
All of this takes the massive
power of the human brain.
in some way subserve
the visual system.
lt's been given
an extraordinarily high degree
of emphasis
by all the mechanisms that
have gone into its creation.
[ l ndistinct talking on radio ]
NARRATOR:
Human eyes functionas survival sensors,
giving us essential information
at the crucial time.
Berry constantly relies on them.
The eyes' mechanics are
the most complex in the body.
Their intricacy is unmatched.
As a ball, the eye pivots
in all directions,
locking onto moving targets.
lt does so with the help
two cups of fat -- shock
absorbers for the eyeballs.
Light enters through an aperture
in the iris,
an elastic mesh
of interlocking fibers.
l n bright light' it snaps down
to the size of a pinhole
in a fifth of a second.
Light hits the lens --
not a hard disk'
but a bag of fluid.
The lens projects an image the
onto the retina
at the back of the eye.
Then the retina'
a mass of nerves,
sends impulses to the brain.
Surprisingly, the right eye
signals the left side
of the brain,
and the left eye transmits
to the right side.
Our eyes have evolved
a crucial feature
from going extinct.
Officer Berry is about to test
that feature to its limits.
Speeding into a dangerous
intersection,
involving life or death.
ls anything moving?
Where is it?
What is it?
blocking the way.
To the right' a car speeds
toward the intersection.
On the left'
[ Horn blares ]
But suddenly,
something else comes into view.
And here's where
the human eye's design pays off.
At the back of the eye,
most of the retina consists
of millions of rods.
These cells see no color
or detail.
But let anything anywhere
in our field of view move,
and the rods spot it.
The eyes swivel
to look directly at the vehicle.
kick in.
A pinhead-sized dot holds
six million cells called cones.
They're all about color
and detail.
DR. D'AM l CO:
That's why,when we look at something,
we look directly at it --
because we have
right in the center.
NARRATOR:
Locking his eyeson the moving object'
Officer Berry can judge speed,
direction, and danger.
The brain responds,
sending signals
at an amazing 1 80 miles per hour
to his hands and feet in time
to clear the intersection.
[ Horn blares ]
This is one of hundreds
of life-or-death decisions
to bring the 40-minute chase
to a safe end.
[ l ndistinct talking on radio ]
He does this thanks to the eye's
incredible skill at adjusting
when information threatens
to overload what we're seeing.
This ability matters
as much today
as it did for our ancestors.
Evolution left us
with another skill,
one that's still priceless.
l n the dark'
we can make out the world
with only the smallest
of clues.
The will to live through a fire
depends on our skill
at navigating the murderous
darkness of smoke-filled rooms.
Firefighters reach a house
in Bradenton, Florida.
Agent 56, go ahead
and charge the line.
NARRATOR:
But they don't knowif anyone's trapped inside.
l'm set.
Ready?
NARRATOR:
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