Il était une fois... la vie (1987–1988): Season 1, Episode 12 - L'oreille - full transcript
[lively music playing]
This life is life that's life
Sing a song of life
♪ Every heartbeat's a miracle ♪
♪ Feel the rhythm growing ♪
♪ Day by day as we go ♪
♪ Look inside, your body is humming ♪
♪ With a million drums that are drumming ♪
♪ Fill your lungs, get ready ♪
♪ Celebrating the joy
That's life ♪
♪ Is life, is life, that's life ♪
♪ Is life, is life, that's life ♪
♪ That's life ♪
THE EAR
-[bright piano music playing]
-[birds chirping]
[music stops]
[bright piano music playing]
[narrator] Our ears allow us
to enjoy the magic of music.
But what happens when we hear
an instrument played?
What happens is that waves
are created in the air that surrounds us.
And these expanding ripples of pressure
are the sound detected by our ears.
Sound waves make the eardrum vibrate.
The eardrum, in turn, submits the signal
to a tiny bone called the hammer,
which beats on another bone
known as the anvil.
A third bone, they stirrup,
passes on the amplified vibrations
to the inner ear.
Here we find the cochlea,
and these ultra-sensitive hairs,
the Corti organs,
which tremble with every vibration.
Sodium-ion messengers swim about
in a state of readiness.
Inside the cell, there is much activity,
just like the normal hustle and bustle
we've seen in other cells.
But when we penetrate the nucleus,
we find a control room,
devoted to the measurement of sound.
[chief Corti] Look!
These are medium loud vibrations
of about 80 decibels.
Let's get them recorded.
Polarize the cell.
Let the sodium-ion messengers in.
--They'll pass the signal on for us.
-[assistant] Hey!
Huh?
l can 't hear anything!
[lisps] They told me I was assigned to
a sound transmission unit.
[assistant 2] That's absolutely right.
Why is it so quiet, then?
Because we don't hear anything, you see.
Our job is transmitting vibrations,
their frequency, their amplitude;
that’s it.
l think I see what you mean.
l suppose it must be the brain
that turns the vibrations into sound.
Yes, that’s where they do the hearing.
Look at the screen. You can see
the walls of the cell out there.
Watch for the sodium-ion messengers.
Their job is to help
the neurotransmitters.
[sodium ions laughing and chatting]
[screeches]
-[ion A] All right where to now?
-[ion B] I thought you knew.
[ion C] What a shambles! Who's in charge?
[ion D] I've got it, guys!
The neurotransmitters are this way.
-This way!
-[cheering and laughing]
[ion C] Come on, push! Push harder!
[muttering and groaning]
Some sodium ions don't pull their weight.
I'm not one of them!
Why don't you save
your breath for pushing?
[ion C] Lookout, chaps!
We're almost there.
Unload the neurotransmitters
for the auditory nerve.
[neurotransmitters singing]
That's how it's done.
First of all, we register the vibrations,
then pass them on as
auditory nerve impulses to the brain.
So that's hearing, is it?
Not by a long chalk, my lad.
You see, the signals we send can only
be interpreted by the brain itself.
And the messages we transmit have still
got an awful long way to travel.
The message is carried along
the nerve cell until it reaches
the nucleus, with a control room
very similar to our own.
And when things are quite outside
the body, they're quiet inside it as well.
[bright music playing]
[snoring]
[mumbling]
[gasps]
[gasps]
-[chuckling, gasps]
-[snoring]
[shrieks]
[beeping]
Right, this harmonic wave
is only 65 decibels.
[chief synapse] Speedy, your job
is delivering messages, not reading them.
Now take it to the eighth auditory nerve.
Coming!
[speedy screeches]
-[clears throat]
-[nervous giggle]
[lively music playing]
Mi, mi, mi...
Do, do, do...
-[laughs]
-[screams]
Music lovers in a hurry
should be put away for life!
-Do, do, do...
-Huh?
[singing together]
[beeping]
Look alive, men.
Another message coming through.
[whistle]
[speedies singing]
[lively music playing]
[beeping]
[assistant] So, the impulse runs up
the nerve cell until it has to jump
to the next cell at a junction.
We see the message relayed from
cell to cell along the auditory nerve.
Finally, the impulse reaches the brain,
where it's converted
into the sound we hear.
[clicking]
-[upbeat piano music playing]
-[fingers clicking]
[Maestro] Hm-mm. In the groove, Daddy-oh,
in the groove! Wonderful, isn't it?
Simple sound vibrations,
that's all they are,
but when the ear has picked them up,
and the brain has processed them,
they're pure magic!
How the brain does it
is a bit of a mystery,
but what a marvel, all the same.
-[upbeat piano music playing]
-[humming]
Here. Get moving.
Hmm.
[laughs heartily]
[indistinct chattering]
[shocked shouts]
[chuckles]
[Minnie Mouse] I can always lead,
Henry dearest, if you don't feel up to it.
[laughing]
Aha!
Ha!
Ha!
[quadruped] Who taught the platelets
to breakdance?
Ha! Ha!
Ha!
[Metro] Well, they say that music calms
the savage breast,
but personally I find it
rather stimulating.
[clapping]
[bright piano music playing]
[pulsating sounds]
[piano music ends]
[lively music playing]
[indistinct talking]
-[punk] After them!
-[shouting]
[gasps]
[screams]
[groans]
[upbeat music playing]
[screaming]
[Claire] What’s the matter,
Professor Globus? Lost your sea legs?
[silly groan]
[Peter Jr.] Is something bothering you,
Lieutenant?
I’ve got a hunch that there is something
very wrong in this section, Captain.
Well, your hunches are usually right.
Lead the way, Lieutenant.
[Globine] Professor Globus,
what caused that earthquake?
[Globus] We're on the eardrum, you see.
Those three little bones, the hammer,
the anvil and the stirrup,
may be the smallest bones in the body,
but they amplify the vibrations 20 times.
[Stroppy[ Hurry up, men,
we're almost there.
[germ] Hurry up? That's all very well,
but here we are,
climbing up a dark slippery tunnel.
We don't even know where we are.
I know where we are,
numbskull, in the eustachian tube!
It links the nose to the ear,
which is where we're headed.
Why the ear, huh?
Let me tell you why!
It's a nice quiet place
where we can creep in undetected.
You lot are lucky to have
a leader with brains, like me.
We're going to set up a beautiful otitis.
What's that?
You ignorant slob!
You don't even know what otitis is?
Idiot! Otitis is an ear infection
that young kids get all the time.
Now, let's move along.
[moaning and groaning]
Hold it! I don't like
the look of that! Hide yourselves!
[shrieks]
[grunts]
Take a look down there,
Captain. Do you see them?
Yes, Lieutenant. Let's move in closer.
-[Peter Jr.] Calling all antibody troops.
-[shouting]
Report immediately
to right eustachian tube
to repel large invasion force
of staphylococcus germs. I repeat:
-report to right eustachian tube
-[growling]
to repel large invasion force
of staphylococcus germs!
[grunting and groaning]
[Metro] Message received.
We're on our way. Over and out.
[buzzing]
[bright music playing]
[pained yelling]
Lucky to have a leader with brains,
he said! [pained yell]
We can creep in undetected, he said.
[yells]
[indistinct chattering]
Mission accomplished, Captain. No problem.
We're more than a match for those
hulking great staphylococcus thugs.
Yes indeed, Metro, it looks as though
we've nipped that one in the bud.
That’s funny. I had a pain in my ear,
but it's gone away now.
[light, gentle music playing]
You seem to be getting on quite well
with your piano lessons.
Are you finished now?
Hm-mm. Why don't we go
for a ride on our bikes?
Good idea! We can take
a ride over to the park and back again.
[birds chirping]
[car engines buzzing]
[tires screeching]
[pings]
[tires screeching]
[Foxy] Go for it. Go for it, Stroppy,
there's no cops in sight!
[Stroppy chuckling]
Hey!
The idiot!
He could have got himself killed!
-[hooter honks]
-[pained moan]
-[hooter honking]
-[pained moaning]
[cymbal crashes]
[pulsating thumping sounds]
[light, gentle music playing]
[alarm beeping]
[screeches]
Why is this danger signal flashing?
Because it's a very loud noise,
140 decibels, it's painful.
We'd better send it through urgently.
[alarm beeping]
[chief synapse] Mm. Just a minute!
We can't use normal channels
for a 140-decibel noise like that.
What we need is a priority pain messenger.
-[shocked gasps]
-[biker] Thanks!
[alarm beeping]
[all] What now, Chief?
So many pain signals at once.
It’s abnormal.
Could there be some mistake?
Or do you think we should
send a message to block the ears?
We can't take that sort of decision.
It has to be handled upstairs.
So let's get on and transmit
those pain messages.
Ours is not to reason why, I'm afraid.
Ours is but to do our job.
So let's get to work.
[tires screeching]
Got it.
Work like a slave
and where does it get you, huh?
While whippersnappers like him
get promoted to the flying squad!
l dunno.
Or could it be a question of fashion?
Is it the "in" thing to wear leathers
and a helmet these days?
That’s it! Why on earth
didn't I think of it earlier?
Just watch me. I'm about to join
the very latest fashion trend.
-[screeches]
-Hey!
-Fooled him, didn't I?
-Ha!
-Hey? [chuckling]
-Huh?
Vroom!
[upbeat music playing
[engines roaring]
[tires screeching]
[whistle blowing]
Mr. Policeman, we’d be delighted
to come forward as witnesses,
if you decide to prosecute
those reckless children.
The lights were red!
The traffic lights were green,
weren't they?
Well, maybe they were amber.
Don't you agree, Stroppy?
And that's not all. Just how fast
do you think you were going?
Well, we weren't speeding!
We were doing 30 or 40, at the outside!
And your horn?
It’s a regulation hooter, I suppose?
Even though it's still ringing in my ears?
Exceeding the speed limit,
failing to stop at a red light,
and using an illegal warning device.
-Now, what about your license?
-[moans]
If you can't produce your license,
you're really in hot water.
[bright music playing]
[together] Overload, overload, overload.
It used to be so quiet working down here,
but now I can't stand it.
l just can't stand it!!
The noise is driving me mad!
[assistant screams]
l can't bear it much longer,
it's driving me crazy,
the noise is going to destroy me.
Not till you've dealt with
all these signals, young man!
-[sighs]
-I can’t take all that!
[sighs]
Now, what's going on here? What's this?
Thank you. You'd best be on your way.
[sighs] I'm not trying
to make trouble, sir. Uhm...
It's just that I don't understand
what's happening.
My dear young chap,
sounds are only vibrations.
And when the vibrations
become too strong, they hurt.
The pain is meant as a danger signal,
to warn us.
A danger signal?
Yes, it all goes back
to the times of the cavemen.
Of course, in those days,
our hearing was much more acute.
[roaring]
[gasping]
[shouts]
[roaring]
[huffs]
-[rumbling]
-[gasping]
[munching]
Of course, that was donkey's years ago.
But sound is still a warning to us
in modern times.
-Hey!
-Peter!
l understand how sound
can be a warning, sir.
But where does the pain come in?
The pain tells you
that your hearing is in danger.
Boing.
Boing.
Boing.
Boing.
Boing.
Boing.
[Maestro] You see, the receptor cells
are fragile,
and noise can shatter them.
Boing.
Boing.
Boing.
Boing.
[Maestro] Nowadays, we know how to protect
ourselves against harmful noise,
But some of us don't know
just how harmful it can be.
[humming]
-[screaming]
-[loud rock music playing]
[music ends]
There's quite a hearing loss already,
I'm afraid.
There's nothing we can do
to bring it back,
and you'll have to be very careful
in the future.
What can he do, Doctor?
Lower volume for shorter periods.
That's my advice.
Too much noise causes stress,
and destroys the sensory cells
in the ears.
The damage can never be repaired,
the hearing loss is permanent.
Message for the nervous system: increase
the rate of heartbeat immediately.
Message for the lymphatic nervous system:
constrict the capillaries.
Message for the endocrine glands:
increase secretion of adrenalin
-with immediate effect.
-Ah! There you are!
Bye for now, young fellow.
I'll talk to you again soon.
Do you see how too much noise
can affect your health?
So do take good care of your ears!
[cheerful music playing]
[bike wheels rattling]
Peter, why don't we have a slow race,
where the loser is the first one
to lose their balance.
Okay, let’s try.
[chuckles]
Your foot's down. One point to me!
-Mm.
-One all!
It's not so easy going slow
and trying to keep your balance.
[narrator] How do we keep our balance?
Well, here again, we use our ears.
It’s our ears
that help us maintain our balance.
Or at least a very special part of
the ears called the vestibular apparatus.
Our old friend, Professor Globus,
is taking some young corpuscles
on a guided tour of the area.
Why don't we join them?
In fact, balance is a sense
in its own right, isn't it?
And those are semi-circular canals.
Look! It's easy. I can balance.
-Watch.
-Hey!
-[gasps]
-Let go! Put me down, you big bully!
-[nervous moaning]
-You see? How do you like that?
[shouts]
-Now, as I was saying before... [groans]
-[gasps]
What caused that earthquake, Professor?
It must have been a movement
of the head. Look.
When the head moves,
the sensory cells inside the canals
can detect this movement.
[cheerful music playing]
[voice] A movement has been recorded.
The head is tilted forward 15°.
Admit sodium-ion messengers
to activate neurotransmitters.
[popping sounds]
[beeping]
[light, gentle music playing]
This report states that the field
of vision has shifted lower down, sir.
l have a message from the neck muscles:
the head is tilting slightly.
According to this message, pressure
is increasing on the left knee joint.
Aha!
[shouts, mumbles]
Why won't you go in?
Ah! That's better.
[mumbling]
-Thanks.
-[shrieks]
Huh?
Urgent signals
from the semi-circular canals.
The head is tilted 15° forward. [screams]
l think he ought to turn the handlebars.
He should push down on the pedal instead.
In my opinion, he should
shift forward in the saddle.
No I don't agree with that at all, Chief!
Enough of this chatter! Our job
is to send those signals upstairs.
He’ll fall off his bike
if we fall behind with our work.
Now move!
[narrator] The ear
is the organ of hearing,
but, as we've just seen, that's not all.
With the vestibular apparatus
and its semi-circular canals,
the ear is also the organ of balance.
Without our ears, we could never stand up,
let alone ride a bike.
[lively music playing]
This life is life that's life
Sing a song of life
♪ Every heartbeat's a miracle ♪
♪ Feel the rhythm growing ♪
♪ Day by day as we go ♪
♪ Look inside, your body is humming ♪
♪ With a million drums that are drumming ♪
♪ Fill your lungs, get ready ♪
♪ Celebrating the joy
That's life ♪
♪ Is life, is life, that's life ♪
♪ Is life, is life, that's life ♪
♪ That's life ♪
THE EAR
-[bright piano music playing]
-[birds chirping]
[music stops]
[bright piano music playing]
[narrator] Our ears allow us
to enjoy the magic of music.
But what happens when we hear
an instrument played?
What happens is that waves
are created in the air that surrounds us.
And these expanding ripples of pressure
are the sound detected by our ears.
Sound waves make the eardrum vibrate.
The eardrum, in turn, submits the signal
to a tiny bone called the hammer,
which beats on another bone
known as the anvil.
A third bone, they stirrup,
passes on the amplified vibrations
to the inner ear.
Here we find the cochlea,
and these ultra-sensitive hairs,
the Corti organs,
which tremble with every vibration.
Sodium-ion messengers swim about
in a state of readiness.
Inside the cell, there is much activity,
just like the normal hustle and bustle
we've seen in other cells.
But when we penetrate the nucleus,
we find a control room,
devoted to the measurement of sound.
[chief Corti] Look!
These are medium loud vibrations
of about 80 decibels.
Let's get them recorded.
Polarize the cell.
Let the sodium-ion messengers in.
--They'll pass the signal on for us.
-[assistant] Hey!
Huh?
l can 't hear anything!
[lisps] They told me I was assigned to
a sound transmission unit.
[assistant 2] That's absolutely right.
Why is it so quiet, then?
Because we don't hear anything, you see.
Our job is transmitting vibrations,
their frequency, their amplitude;
that’s it.
l think I see what you mean.
l suppose it must be the brain
that turns the vibrations into sound.
Yes, that’s where they do the hearing.
Look at the screen. You can see
the walls of the cell out there.
Watch for the sodium-ion messengers.
Their job is to help
the neurotransmitters.
[sodium ions laughing and chatting]
[screeches]
-[ion A] All right where to now?
-[ion B] I thought you knew.
[ion C] What a shambles! Who's in charge?
[ion D] I've got it, guys!
The neurotransmitters are this way.
-This way!
-[cheering and laughing]
[ion C] Come on, push! Push harder!
[muttering and groaning]
Some sodium ions don't pull their weight.
I'm not one of them!
Why don't you save
your breath for pushing?
[ion C] Lookout, chaps!
We're almost there.
Unload the neurotransmitters
for the auditory nerve.
[neurotransmitters singing]
That's how it's done.
First of all, we register the vibrations,
then pass them on as
auditory nerve impulses to the brain.
So that's hearing, is it?
Not by a long chalk, my lad.
You see, the signals we send can only
be interpreted by the brain itself.
And the messages we transmit have still
got an awful long way to travel.
The message is carried along
the nerve cell until it reaches
the nucleus, with a control room
very similar to our own.
And when things are quite outside
the body, they're quiet inside it as well.
[bright music playing]
[snoring]
[mumbling]
[gasps]
[gasps]
-[chuckling, gasps]
-[snoring]
[shrieks]
[beeping]
Right, this harmonic wave
is only 65 decibels.
[chief synapse] Speedy, your job
is delivering messages, not reading them.
Now take it to the eighth auditory nerve.
Coming!
[speedy screeches]
-[clears throat]
-[nervous giggle]
[lively music playing]
Mi, mi, mi...
Do, do, do...
-[laughs]
-[screams]
Music lovers in a hurry
should be put away for life!
-Do, do, do...
-Huh?
[singing together]
[beeping]
Look alive, men.
Another message coming through.
[whistle]
[speedies singing]
[lively music playing]
[beeping]
[assistant] So, the impulse runs up
the nerve cell until it has to jump
to the next cell at a junction.
We see the message relayed from
cell to cell along the auditory nerve.
Finally, the impulse reaches the brain,
where it's converted
into the sound we hear.
[clicking]
-[upbeat piano music playing]
-[fingers clicking]
[Maestro] Hm-mm. In the groove, Daddy-oh,
in the groove! Wonderful, isn't it?
Simple sound vibrations,
that's all they are,
but when the ear has picked them up,
and the brain has processed them,
they're pure magic!
How the brain does it
is a bit of a mystery,
but what a marvel, all the same.
-[upbeat piano music playing]
-[humming]
Here. Get moving.
Hmm.
[laughs heartily]
[indistinct chattering]
[shocked shouts]
[chuckles]
[Minnie Mouse] I can always lead,
Henry dearest, if you don't feel up to it.
[laughing]
Aha!
Ha!
Ha!
[quadruped] Who taught the platelets
to breakdance?
Ha! Ha!
Ha!
[Metro] Well, they say that music calms
the savage breast,
but personally I find it
rather stimulating.
[clapping]
[bright piano music playing]
[pulsating sounds]
[piano music ends]
[lively music playing]
[indistinct talking]
-[punk] After them!
-[shouting]
[gasps]
[screams]
[groans]
[upbeat music playing]
[screaming]
[Claire] What’s the matter,
Professor Globus? Lost your sea legs?
[silly groan]
[Peter Jr.] Is something bothering you,
Lieutenant?
I’ve got a hunch that there is something
very wrong in this section, Captain.
Well, your hunches are usually right.
Lead the way, Lieutenant.
[Globine] Professor Globus,
what caused that earthquake?
[Globus] We're on the eardrum, you see.
Those three little bones, the hammer,
the anvil and the stirrup,
may be the smallest bones in the body,
but they amplify the vibrations 20 times.
[Stroppy[ Hurry up, men,
we're almost there.
[germ] Hurry up? That's all very well,
but here we are,
climbing up a dark slippery tunnel.
We don't even know where we are.
I know where we are,
numbskull, in the eustachian tube!
It links the nose to the ear,
which is where we're headed.
Why the ear, huh?
Let me tell you why!
It's a nice quiet place
where we can creep in undetected.
You lot are lucky to have
a leader with brains, like me.
We're going to set up a beautiful otitis.
What's that?
You ignorant slob!
You don't even know what otitis is?
Idiot! Otitis is an ear infection
that young kids get all the time.
Now, let's move along.
[moaning and groaning]
Hold it! I don't like
the look of that! Hide yourselves!
[shrieks]
[grunts]
Take a look down there,
Captain. Do you see them?
Yes, Lieutenant. Let's move in closer.
-[Peter Jr.] Calling all antibody troops.
-[shouting]
Report immediately
to right eustachian tube
to repel large invasion force
of staphylococcus germs. I repeat:
-report to right eustachian tube
-[growling]
to repel large invasion force
of staphylococcus germs!
[grunting and groaning]
[Metro] Message received.
We're on our way. Over and out.
[buzzing]
[bright music playing]
[pained yelling]
Lucky to have a leader with brains,
he said! [pained yell]
We can creep in undetected, he said.
[yells]
[indistinct chattering]
Mission accomplished, Captain. No problem.
We're more than a match for those
hulking great staphylococcus thugs.
Yes indeed, Metro, it looks as though
we've nipped that one in the bud.
That’s funny. I had a pain in my ear,
but it's gone away now.
[light, gentle music playing]
You seem to be getting on quite well
with your piano lessons.
Are you finished now?
Hm-mm. Why don't we go
for a ride on our bikes?
Good idea! We can take
a ride over to the park and back again.
[birds chirping]
[car engines buzzing]
[tires screeching]
[pings]
[tires screeching]
[Foxy] Go for it. Go for it, Stroppy,
there's no cops in sight!
[Stroppy chuckling]
Hey!
The idiot!
He could have got himself killed!
-[hooter honks]
-[pained moan]
-[hooter honking]
-[pained moaning]
[cymbal crashes]
[pulsating thumping sounds]
[light, gentle music playing]
[alarm beeping]
[screeches]
Why is this danger signal flashing?
Because it's a very loud noise,
140 decibels, it's painful.
We'd better send it through urgently.
[alarm beeping]
[chief synapse] Mm. Just a minute!
We can't use normal channels
for a 140-decibel noise like that.
What we need is a priority pain messenger.
-[shocked gasps]
-[biker] Thanks!
[alarm beeping]
[all] What now, Chief?
So many pain signals at once.
It’s abnormal.
Could there be some mistake?
Or do you think we should
send a message to block the ears?
We can't take that sort of decision.
It has to be handled upstairs.
So let's get on and transmit
those pain messages.
Ours is not to reason why, I'm afraid.
Ours is but to do our job.
So let's get to work.
[tires screeching]
Got it.
Work like a slave
and where does it get you, huh?
While whippersnappers like him
get promoted to the flying squad!
l dunno.
Or could it be a question of fashion?
Is it the "in" thing to wear leathers
and a helmet these days?
That’s it! Why on earth
didn't I think of it earlier?
Just watch me. I'm about to join
the very latest fashion trend.
-[screeches]
-Hey!
-Fooled him, didn't I?
-Ha!
-Hey? [chuckling]
-Huh?
Vroom!
[upbeat music playing
[engines roaring]
[tires screeching]
[whistle blowing]
Mr. Policeman, we’d be delighted
to come forward as witnesses,
if you decide to prosecute
those reckless children.
The lights were red!
The traffic lights were green,
weren't they?
Well, maybe they were amber.
Don't you agree, Stroppy?
And that's not all. Just how fast
do you think you were going?
Well, we weren't speeding!
We were doing 30 or 40, at the outside!
And your horn?
It’s a regulation hooter, I suppose?
Even though it's still ringing in my ears?
Exceeding the speed limit,
failing to stop at a red light,
and using an illegal warning device.
-Now, what about your license?
-[moans]
If you can't produce your license,
you're really in hot water.
[bright music playing]
[together] Overload, overload, overload.
It used to be so quiet working down here,
but now I can't stand it.
l just can't stand it!!
The noise is driving me mad!
[assistant screams]
l can't bear it much longer,
it's driving me crazy,
the noise is going to destroy me.
Not till you've dealt with
all these signals, young man!
-[sighs]
-I can’t take all that!
[sighs]
Now, what's going on here? What's this?
Thank you. You'd best be on your way.
[sighs] I'm not trying
to make trouble, sir. Uhm...
It's just that I don't understand
what's happening.
My dear young chap,
sounds are only vibrations.
And when the vibrations
become too strong, they hurt.
The pain is meant as a danger signal,
to warn us.
A danger signal?
Yes, it all goes back
to the times of the cavemen.
Of course, in those days,
our hearing was much more acute.
[roaring]
[gasping]
[shouts]
[roaring]
[huffs]
-[rumbling]
-[gasping]
[munching]
Of course, that was donkey's years ago.
But sound is still a warning to us
in modern times.
-Hey!
-Peter!
l understand how sound
can be a warning, sir.
But where does the pain come in?
The pain tells you
that your hearing is in danger.
Boing.
Boing.
Boing.
Boing.
Boing.
Boing.
[Maestro] You see, the receptor cells
are fragile,
and noise can shatter them.
Boing.
Boing.
Boing.
Boing.
[Maestro] Nowadays, we know how to protect
ourselves against harmful noise,
But some of us don't know
just how harmful it can be.
[humming]
-[screaming]
-[loud rock music playing]
[music ends]
There's quite a hearing loss already,
I'm afraid.
There's nothing we can do
to bring it back,
and you'll have to be very careful
in the future.
What can he do, Doctor?
Lower volume for shorter periods.
That's my advice.
Too much noise causes stress,
and destroys the sensory cells
in the ears.
The damage can never be repaired,
the hearing loss is permanent.
Message for the nervous system: increase
the rate of heartbeat immediately.
Message for the lymphatic nervous system:
constrict the capillaries.
Message for the endocrine glands:
increase secretion of adrenalin
-with immediate effect.
-Ah! There you are!
Bye for now, young fellow.
I'll talk to you again soon.
Do you see how too much noise
can affect your health?
So do take good care of your ears!
[cheerful music playing]
[bike wheels rattling]
Peter, why don't we have a slow race,
where the loser is the first one
to lose their balance.
Okay, let’s try.
[chuckles]
Your foot's down. One point to me!
-Mm.
-One all!
It's not so easy going slow
and trying to keep your balance.
[narrator] How do we keep our balance?
Well, here again, we use our ears.
It’s our ears
that help us maintain our balance.
Or at least a very special part of
the ears called the vestibular apparatus.
Our old friend, Professor Globus,
is taking some young corpuscles
on a guided tour of the area.
Why don't we join them?
In fact, balance is a sense
in its own right, isn't it?
And those are semi-circular canals.
Look! It's easy. I can balance.
-Watch.
-Hey!
-[gasps]
-Let go! Put me down, you big bully!
-[nervous moaning]
-You see? How do you like that?
[shouts]
-Now, as I was saying before... [groans]
-[gasps]
What caused that earthquake, Professor?
It must have been a movement
of the head. Look.
When the head moves,
the sensory cells inside the canals
can detect this movement.
[cheerful music playing]
[voice] A movement has been recorded.
The head is tilted forward 15°.
Admit sodium-ion messengers
to activate neurotransmitters.
[popping sounds]
[beeping]
[light, gentle music playing]
This report states that the field
of vision has shifted lower down, sir.
l have a message from the neck muscles:
the head is tilting slightly.
According to this message, pressure
is increasing on the left knee joint.
Aha!
[shouts, mumbles]
Why won't you go in?
Ah! That's better.
[mumbling]
-Thanks.
-[shrieks]
Huh?
Urgent signals
from the semi-circular canals.
The head is tilted 15° forward. [screams]
l think he ought to turn the handlebars.
He should push down on the pedal instead.
In my opinion, he should
shift forward in the saddle.
No I don't agree with that at all, Chief!
Enough of this chatter! Our job
is to send those signals upstairs.
He’ll fall off his bike
if we fall behind with our work.
Now move!
[narrator] The ear
is the organ of hearing,
but, as we've just seen, that's not all.
With the vestibular apparatus
and its semi-circular canals,
the ear is also the organ of balance.
Without our ears, we could never stand up,
let alone ride a bike.
[lively music playing]