Airs October 15 and 22 at 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings)
MYSTERIOUS HUMAN Heart's one-hour episodes focuses on a different aspect of what we thought we knew, what we know now, and what we're on the verge of learning about the heart. Endlessly Beating examines the heart as a muscle - pumping almost 100,000 times a day, pushing approximately five quarts of blood in a ceaseless circuit to deliver oxygen to every cell in the human body.
The Spark of Life looks at the physiological electrical mechanisms that keep a heart beating regularly and efficiently - and what happens when this most essential rhythm of life goes awry. The Silent Killer focuses on atherosclerosis, the silent blockage of the coronary arteries, which can trigger a devastating and possibly fatal heart attack. As this program shows, the key is to recognize the risk factors that feed the disease and to control them before it's too late.
