La macchina meravigliosa (1990)

The first episode of the program "The Wonderful Machine" is dedicated to the ear. The auricle helps to hear well and to locate noises, explains Piero Angela: traveling virtually inside the ear, this organ is investigated, whose characteristics are illustrated, from the ear canal to the eardrum, from the cochlea to the labyrinth.

From the cornea to the lens up to the retina: discovering the eye, Piero Angela begins his exciting journey with the eyelids, "shutters", he says, with different functions such as "protecting the eye, isolating the brain from light and thus promoting sleep , but also constantly cleaning the cornea thanks to rapid movements".

"Taste smell" is the title of the episode of the program with Piero Angela to discover the human body. How does the language work? And how are sensations formed? Step by step, we delve into the delicate and complex mechanisms of our "wonderful machine".

What is the role of the esophagus? How is the stomach made? And the intestines? Piero Angela leads us to the discovery of the human body, a "wonderful machine" with a complex and fascinating functioning, showing us the "fantastic landscapes" that are within us.

Piero Angela is "special correspondent" to discover the characteristics and functioning of the liver, a real "biochemical factory", whose various "departments" are explored. A decisive organ for the proper functioning of our "wonderful machine".

"A world full of surprises", this is how Piero Angela announces it, his special patrol inside the bones of our "wonderful machine". How many bones do we have at birth? And what happens when we grow up? Questions and answers, with a direct and precise informative style, allow us to get to know our body much more closely.

A journey of exploration following the air that enters and exits our bodies: Piero Angela leads us to discover the lungs, their characteristics and how they work. What happens when we breathe? We find out with the support of images of the inside of our body.

A journey to discover the "engine" of the organism: the heart. At the beginning of the episode Angela asks a series of questions: how many times does this organ beat in a lifetime? How does it work? What exactly happens when something goes wrong? The description of this "four-chamber pump" is careful and punctual, as in Piero Angela's style. When observed under a scanning electron microscope, the organ reveals many interesting details that are worth paying attention to.