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21 Episodes 1983 - 1984
Episode 1
Tue, Jan 18, 1983 60 mins
Exotic species of plants, insects and birds endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Also: an examination of ecological imbalances in those islands due to encroaching civilization, farmers seeking more land to cultivate and animals introduced to Hawaii from other lands.
Episode 2
Tue, Jan 25, 1983 60 mins
A 1981 conversation with physicist Richard Feynman, who won a 1965 Nobel prize for research in quantum electrodynamics. Feynman discusses the Manhattan Project and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945.
Episode 3
Tue, Feb 8, 1983 60 mins
Dramatizing the three-year hunt (1969-72) to identify the source of Lassa fever in Nigeria that claimed at least 15 lives. Renny Pinneo: Annie Ross. Graham Kemp: Manning Redwood. Rose Pinneo: Betsy Blair. Narrated by Andrew Macmillan.
Episode 4
Tue, Feb 15, 1983 60 mins
A journey inside the body that captures the conception and development of an embryo. The 1983 Emmy-winning film was produced by Swedish filmmakers Lennart Nilsson and Bo Erikson. Microscope photography shows the merging of male and female cells, the first divisions of the fertilized egg and its 10-day trip to the uterus, where the embryo is seen taking shape.
Episode 5
Tue, Mar 1, 1983 60 mins
A 1982 British report on the use and misuse of asbestos in England, Canada and the U.S. Included: interviews with asbestosis victims, and a look at the bankruptcy filing by the Manville Corp., a giant in the asbestos industry.
Episode 6
Tue, Mar 8, 1983 60 mins
A vivid exploration of fish and plant life in a Caribbean coral reef. Included: a "part plant, part animal" coral that builds, feeds and attacks; puffer fish; moray eels; porcupine and scorpion fish.
Episode 7
Tue, Mar 22, 1983 60 mins
Facts, theories and myths surrounding obesity, diets and weight-loss maintenance. Evaluated: the importance of heredity, metabolism, fat cells, social pressures and exercise. Narrator: Will Lyman.
Episode 8
Tue, Mar 29, 1983 90 mins
A dramatized "hearing" on events surrounding the 1979 Three Mile Island accident, "based on the transcripts and reports of the official investigations." Also: a report on nuclear power and issues.
Episode 9
Tue, Oct 11, 1983 60 mins
Animal comprehension and communication is shown through the continuing education of Washoe, a chimp being taught sign language. Also: interpreting the songs of humpback whales; teaching simians to use a computer.
Episode 10
Tue, Oct 18, 1983 60 mins
Advances in "The Artificial Heart" are chronicled from Dr. Denton Cooley's 1969 heart transplant to the mechanical device that kept Barney Clark alive for 112 days. Also: temporary vs. permanent units.
Episode 11
Tue, Oct 25, 1983 60 mins
A look at the applications of Logo, a computer language that helps children understand mathematical concepts. Other applications include helping individuals with little motor control, and commanding a small robot.
Episode 12
Tue, Nov 1, 1983 60 mins
Criticism of traditional anthropological field-work techniques voiced by ethnographers and people that anthropologists study. Interviewed: villagers on Manus Island, where Margaret Mead conducted studies; a student from New Guinea who is studying American culture in California.
Episode 13
Tue, Nov 8, 1983 60 mins
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross is seen helping terminally ill patients and their relatives cope with their feelings of anger and helplessness.
Episode 14
Tue, Nov 15, 1983 60 mins
"A Magic Way of Going" looks at the use of genealogical data in the breeding of thoroughbred horses. Also: why the species may have reached a "genetic plateau."
Episode 15
Tue, Nov 22, 1983 60 mins
Modern plastic surgery: a history of techniques; graphic scenes of an operation; and interviews with doctors and patients, who discuss physical and psychological benefits of surgery. Edward Herrmann is the narrator.
Episode 16
Tue, Nov 29, 1983 60 mins
A 1981 Australian docudrama about a group of disabled people (playing themselves) who, in 1973, organized to protest conditions in their institution. Adapted from a book by John Roarty, a resident there.
Episode 17
Tue, Dec 6, 1983 60 mins
A 1983 retrospective on "Twenty-five Years in Space," from the 1957 Soviet launch of Sputnik to the space-shuttle. Included are clips of flights by Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Neil Armstrong and Skylab crews. Also: TV coverage of the space race.
Episode 18
Tue, Dec 13, 1983 60 mins
America's missile systems and shifting U.S. nuclear-weapon policies. Also: an assessment of SALT and START talks between the superpowers.
Episode 19
Tue, Dec 20, 1983 60 mins
How years of burning fossil fuels have contributed to a gradual warming of the earth known as the greenhouse effect. An increased amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere traps the sun's warming infrared rays near the earth.
Episode 20
Tue, Dec 27, 1983 60 mins
Following a group of New York eye specialists to Canton, China, where they demonstrate complex surgical techniques aboard a specially equipped DC-8. Included: graphic footage of surgery.
Episode 21
Tue, Jan 10, 1984 60 mins
An examination of alcoholism includes the theory that genetic as well as social factors contribute to the disease. Also: Alcoholics Anonymous; how computers are used to study the illness.