National Geographic: The Invisible World Page #3

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we cannot see-constantly in the

process of incredible transformation

Over a period of days

tiny worms devour the leaf of a tree

An apple provides a week-long meal

for dozens of hungry grubs

In only four days a dead field

mouse is consumed

by a mass of maggots

From the unstoppable process of decay

there inevitably springs new life

in full and beautiful abundance

Even the passage of years is not

a barrier

for the time-lapse camera

In less than half a minute

a boy can grow from four to 20

and then return again to childhood

Our eyes perceive the world

only in the language of light

Yet light, visible light

is but a narrow slice of

energy contained

within an infinite spectrum of

electromagnetic waves

that constantly vibrate

all around us

When scientists analyze light

breaking it apart into its

component wavelengths

the familiar rainbow of colors

from red to violet appears

Colors are the brain's code

for the wavelengths of light

we can see

Beyond this band of energy

our naked eyes go blind

The world around us hides

numerous sights

from our limited

light-sensitive eyes

By equipping a camera with

a sensitive filter

we can see the world reflected

in ultraviolet

light-the invisible wavelengths

of energy beyond the color

In the 1930s, scientists discovered

that honeybees have

a visual sensitivity

that extends beyond our own

On its daily search for nectar

the bee can sense its surroundings

in ultraviolet light

Some flowers we see

as solidly colored

have a very different

appearance to the bee

When viewed in ultraviolet light

new shadings and patterns appear

Helping to guide the bee

to nectar and pollen

ultraviolet markings

hidden from our eyes

have been discovered

on numerous flowers

Unseen ultraviolet rays stream

abundantly from the sun

but they are only one kind of

invisible light

that we must rely on cameras to reveal

We see the light of a burning match

but an image of its heat eludes us

If our eyes could see the part of

the spectrum

where red light turns to

infrared or heat

our view of the world would suddenly

take on a new and expanded scope

A technique called

schlieren photography

allows us to see heat energy

that constantly flows all around us

A valuable new tool in medicine

super-sensitive infrared cameras

can detect slight variations

in skin temperature

which often signal early warnings

of cancerous tumors and other diseases

Each color represents a one-half

degree difference in temperature

Red areas are the warmest

blue the coolest

To a doctor's trained eye

the body's varied heat patterns

show a wealth

of vital diagnostic information

once hidden from his view

By photographing a subject

with visible light

only the outer surface details are

recorded by the camera

Using another form of energy

invisible to the eye

we can penetrate solid matter

and create an image on film

Discovered in 1895

x-rays were briefly considered

by some to be a threat to

feminine modesty

However, fears were allayed at

first sight of the image

and the x-ray was quickly put to use

as a valuable new tool of medicine

Today, the power of the x-ray

is expanding our knowledge

of the past

When fragile Egyptian mummies are

subjected to modern x-ray analysis

scientists gain new insight into

their little-known culture and lives

What time and wrappings have hidden

x-rays can still reveal

X-rays of Yuya, a royal adviser

show obvious dental disease

Thuya, his wife, suffered painfully

from arthritis and a badly curved spine

The infant Pediamon received a less

than noble burial

His arms were amputated and his legs

were broken to fit an undersized coffin

For an unidentified mummy

a less desirable fate

Legs are intact

but the torso is

mysteriously missing

Pharaoh Amenhotep I

X-raying directly through his

beautifully preserved coffin reveals

that his body had been damaged

by ancient grave robbers

and repaired by priests

five centuries later

Perhaps no pharaoh is better known

that the young king Tutankhamun

Penetrating rays show that

his golden mask

was constructed in several parts

He beard was added last

attached to the chin by

a tapered peg

The body of King Tut itself has

undergone careful analysis

in hopes of finding evidence as to

the cause of the young pharaoh's death

X-rays, however, show a young man

in good health

And unless there is evidence still

to be discovered

the reason for Tut's early death

may remain forever a mystery

Sound, like light, or heat, or x-rays

radiates all around us in the form

of vibrating waves

This image of a human hand was made

with high-frequency sound

Using this technique

doctors can now see soft

internal tissue

that was not safely

accessible before

Sensitive sound-imaging cameras

are today

revolutionizing prenatal care

Okay, I'm just going to

get one quick look

A tiny developing fetus can be seen

and monitored during growth

in the womb

Seen here in profile

its head on the top right

the fetus arches its back

and stretches

It hiccups... then moves its arm

and slightly turns its head

The baby's now sort of turned around

and it's looking at us to see

what we're doing

I can take a picture of the baby

for you

I'll put this freeze frame

which freezes the image for us

Today, a mother's first baby picture

is often made

with sound before the child is born

Pretty good

See there the baby's head

And everything else looks fine

The baby's moving around a lot

The baby's heart is beating fine

and you have a normal amount of

amniotic fluid for this time

Who's it look like? You or Brad

I think it looks like me

A striking means of

photography discovered

at the turn of the century

shows apparent fields

of energy emanating from our bodies

It is known as Kirlian or

electrophotography

and almost everything filmed

with this technique shows an

active surrounding aura

Controversial and only

partially understood

Kirlian photography is now

undergoing serious investigation

as a possible diagnostic tool

To make a Kirlian photograph

a finger is placed over a sheet

of unexposed film

which receives a burst of electricity

from a metal plate beneath it

When the film is developed

the Kirlian aura appears

Dr. Thelma Moss has conducted research

on Kirlian photography at UCLA

People are always asking

"What is this Kirlian

photography all about?"

And the answer is

"Nobody really knows."

But we've got some ideas

that are intriguing to us

because they are not the

conventional ideas

about what exists around

the human body

We believe that not only is

there air surrounding us

but that we are emanating

something from ourselves

that is energetic-bioenergetic

if you like-and that tells us

a great deal about

what is going on inside the body

Kirlian fingertip images taken over

several hours vary their intensity

as a depressant drug takes effect

A mild stimulating drug seems to

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