Human Body: Pushing the Limits

Sensation (1x3)

: 09, 2008

Less than one-twentieth of an inch below the surface of the skin are the "antennae" that allow us to sense the world around us. This vital layer is the gateway to the original information superhighway -- the nervous system. Millions of nerves carry sensations across the body and up to the brain at hundreds of miles an hour. But our nervous system also has abilities almost beyond imagining. Here is the story of the human body's crucial communications network as never seen before: * When a father and daughter are stranded without water in the scorched Australian outback, a countdown to their death begins until their nerves trigger hidden survival systems. * Rapid response wiring in his body allows a Coast Guard helicopter pilot to control his machine with amazing precision, even in storm-strength winds. * A life of intense training and mental discipline allows Shaolin monks to endure powerful blows to their bodies without even blinking. Plus, how can we move our fingers faster than we can think? How can you master the polygraph? What exactly is pain, and how do some control it?