The Incredible Human Body

Using the storytelling technique of intertwined plot lines á la Pulp Fiction, this beautifully rendered and thought-provoking National Geographic documentary explores the wonders of the human body by following a childless couple hoping to conceive, a man suffering from a large brain tumor, a group of London cabbies, and an NBA athlete in top physical condition (incidentally, exercise can increase the number of brain cells--so much for the stereotype of the dumb athlete!). Looking to science for help, the childless couple opt for in vitro fertilization, and viewers will be privy to a microscopic view of a single sperm cell injected into an egg, and the resulting cell division, while the program identifies the embryonic stem cells (undifferentiated blank cells that are capable of becoming any of the various cell types present in the human body) and discusses the heated controversy surrounding stem cell research. In the meantime, a teacher is battling cells that have created a life-threatening brain tumor that can only be removed in an operation that requires the man to be awake. Using 3-D visualizations of the man's cranium, the Mayo clinic doctors are able to “map” the procedure before cutting into the patient's skull. Finally, viewers are introduced to London cab drivers, who are required to have "the knowledge" (i.e., full memorization) of the city's extremely complicated, serpentine network of streets before they're allowed to earn their first fare. What's amazing is that contemporary research has revealed that the section of the brain devoted to memory is measurably larger in London cabbies' brains than in the average person's. In science as in Shakespeare, all's well that ends well: here, the couple are the proud parents of two healthy babies, the man with the brain tumor survives his gut-wrenching surgery, and, uh, I believe all of the London taxi passengers arrived safely at their destinations. Presenting solid science and touching on cutting-edge ethical issues, all within an engrossing narrative framework, this is highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (C. Block)