StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

The Miracle of Life - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Long gone are the days when the marvels of human conception and foetal development were hidden from view. In Life's Greatest Miracle, PBS's Nova employs microphotography to bring the basics of reproduction to TV. Narrated by John Lithgow, the film shows the production of sperm cells at an average rate of 100 million a day (each constituting a unique genetic package), then contrasts quantity with quality-viewers learn that a woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER93.3% of users find it useful
The Miracle of Life
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The Miracle of Life"

s The Miracle of Life Long gone are the days when the marvels of human conception and foetal development were hidden from view. In Life's Greatest Miracle, PBS's Nova employs microphotography to bring the basics of reproduction to TV. Narrated by John Lithgow, the film shows the production of sperm cells at an average rate of 100 million a day (each constituting a unique genetic package), then contrasts quantity with quality--viewers learn that a woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have.

But the primary focus is fertilization of the egg and foetal development, culminating in birth. Full of fascinating information made completely accessible to non-scientists, Life's Greatest Miracle shows the viewer the first cell divisions occurring within 24 hours of fertilization, the beginnings of the nervous system and brain at three weeks, the eyes developing at five weeks when the embryo is a mere one-fifth of an inch long, and more. Life's Greatest Miracle takes the mystery out of reproduction, but leaves plenty of awe in its place.

This film is an appropriate scientific adjunct for birds-and-bees discussions with children and teenagers. However, parents may want to preview the birth scene which, although sensitively filmed, may be too intense for younger viewers.The Miracle of Life records human conception for the first time on film, and much more. Living, functioning reproductive systems are laid bare to the camera, and there is so much to explore and absorb that Nova's expert guidance is much needed and appreciated. The viewer is also able to follow an egg from its follicular development in an ovary, through the delicate, flowery fallopian tube for fertilization, and on to the uterus for development and eventual birth.

Likewise, the audience follows the shorter journey of millions of sperm as they develop and strive mightily to reach the egg.Among the stunning sequences shot by the photographer is the incredible voyage of the sperm toward the egg. Other events captured in Life's Greatest Miracle include the journey of the fertilized ovum down the fallopian tube, the hatching of the embryo from its confining shell on day six, and the miraculous transformation of an embryo from a ball of cells into three layers from which all the body's organs will emerge.

Human society needs documentary's like this as it helps to educate our world about the realities of human reproduction. If there were more programs such as this one, perhaps there wouldn't be as many teenage pregnancies. Maybe then, the world would realise that the process of reproduction is a very complex and intense situation and certainly not something to be taken for granted.REFERENCESNova: Life's Greatest Miracle (2002). PBS / Warner Home Video, July 16, 2002.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“The Miracle of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
The Miracle of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1520934-the-miracle-of-life
(The Miracle of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
The Miracle of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1520934-the-miracle-of-life.
“The Miracle of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1520934-the-miracle-of-life.
  • Cited: 3 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Miracle of Life

The Nature of Human Soul

The soul is The Miracle of Life, through which humans rethink their deeds and the actions of others, filling themselves with fears, loves, fancies, and lusts (Plato).... Plato asserts that the truth of life is in the way humans hear or see it, as both sight and hearing are the two accurate witnesses of the actual acquirement of knowledge.... He has a book he likes because it reminds him of the special moments in his life, and he confesses that he and Tasha Yar used to be intimate (Star Trek)....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

The Absorbent Mind by Maria Montessori

One of the most detrimental is to ensure that the school does not stay isolated from the social theories of life but rather become a part of them and exert authority over them to maintain proper progress for children to continue to become educated.... The main problem is the fact that there is a severe lack of concern for the individual life of the child....
30 Pages (7500 words) Book Report/Review

Theology of Death

While I mostly agree with the last point of view, I believe that both positions may in fact be considered complimentary as if one is able to get rid of the fear of death as of something terrible and only negative he or she may appreciate The Miracle of Life even more.... hellip; Some people almost always remember about the looming death and try to value life more, and some people may ignore the disturbing thoughts and find peace in the idea that if one forgets about death at all there is only life that remains as if after our demise there is nothing at all then life is the only reality accessible for humans....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Healthy Digestion: A Lesson Plan

The topic revolves around healthy digestion.... This will involve a study of the digestive system - understanding the process of digestion to know what happens to the food we eat, and look at ways to keep the system functioning healthily.... The proposed plan is to divide the course into 5 lessons as follows:… The primary purpose of the course therefore is not specifically to look at what we should be eating but how we should be eating....
12 Pages (3000 words) Essay

When Comedy Blends with Agony - Life Is Beautiful

Both ‘life is beautiful' produced in 1997 and ‘Underground' produced in 1995, exemplify the power of cinema.... Like many tales our storytellers are not afraid to explore the dark side of humanity and to celebrate the magnificient triumph of the good over the evil, and what could be darker than life exhausted in concentration camps and be a witness to the horrid extermination of an entire generation.... However, ‘life is beautiful' is lighter than ‘Underground'....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

The Life of Pi and The Faith of Pi

Zoological studies that he carried out also invoked in him great awe for the creations of God which he calls, “beautiful example(s) of The Miracle of Life” (Martel, 5).... In the essay “The life of Pi and The Faith of Pi” the author analyzes the novel, life of Pi, where the protagonist, Pi, though born a Hindu, started following Christianity and Islam at the early age of fourteen (Martel).... At the beginning of the novel itself, Pi has reflected that “steady, mindful practice of religion slowly brought back to life”....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Lifes Graetest Miracle

The detailed, bright and vivid colours give the right indication of the obstructive view in the real miracle of life.... In this very documentary, there is an indication of the difficulties the sperm goes through in Supervisor's due: life's Greatest Miracle life's greatest miracle is a documentary on human reproductive process produced by Nova.... life's greatest miracle is a very informative film that expounds on the basic concept of cell division in human beings....
2 Pages (500 words) Lab Report

Stages of Pregnancy

he miracle of life begins with the momentous encounter between the male and female gametes, each with half the chromosomal content of a normal human cell.... And now, the cervix dilates and the uterus contracts pushing out the perfect miracle of a fully formed baby (Rauch, 2006....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us