Season 19

The first episode of Superquark opens with a magnificent documentary from the BBC Frozen Planet series, which will take us to the edges of the Earth, to the Arctic and the Antarctic continent, the two largest and most unknown expanses of our planet. After the documentary, the opening report will scientifically examine the phenomenon of earthquakes, with models in the studio that will explain what happens in depth. And it will show a completely new reconstruction technique. But it will also explain how the Richter scale absolutely does not give an idea of ​​the different severity of earthquakes. In the studio, historical seismologist Emanuela Guidoboni. The Vittoriano, with its imposing and controversial monumentality, contains and symbolizes the troubled path that 150 years ago led to the birth of modern Italy.

In the second episode of Superquark, the BBC Frozen Planet series continues: we will see what happens with the arrival of spring in the frozen areas of our planet. The sun returns to heat, allowing the eternal reproduction of all species. Given the extreme conditions, everything is more difficult and longer, but the extraordinary push of life prevails, as every year. The media call it the "God particle", the physicists Higgs boson. Lorenzo Pinna and Barbara Gallavotti went to Geneva to understand why the discovery made at Cern is so important. After the report, Piero Angela and Paco Lanciano with an experiment in the studio, will talk about the world of particles. Accustomed to studying dolphin sonar and fascinated by the interaction between sounds and air bubbles, Prof. Leighton, of the University of Southampton, has developed an instrument capable of drastically reducing the amount of water we use to wash objects.

In the third episode of Superquark, the BBC Frozen Planet series continues. It is midsummer and in the polar regions the sun never sets. Animals concentrate all the intensity of a life in a magical, endless day: they are here to feed, fight and raise their young, taking advantage of this period of abundance. Why do teenagers always seem to be looking for trouble? Neuroscience explores the most turbulent age of life and discovers why kids love risk. Barbara Bernardini and Marco Visalberghi went to the University of Texas, Austin, to tell the story. Alberto Angela is in Moscow, where the Bolshoi Theatre, one of the symbols of the cultural life of an entire nation, has undergone a long restoration project to ensure its stability. Highly specialized work groups have followed the work, which has given the Theatre back its ancient splendor and its famous excellent acoustics.

In the fourth episode of Superquark, for the BBC Frozen Planet series, The Ice Planet: we will see how autumn is experienced in the Arctic and Antarctic. It is the time when we must prepare for a long period of darkness, of stasis. The ice is about to return and the animals are preparing for winter: the bears gather on the coast waiting for the pack to reform and inland the tundra turns from deep green to fiery red. Poland, in the midst of a general crisis, is growing by 4% a year. Why? Poland has set as key words: human capital, education, common goods, connection networks, education and access for young people to positions of responsibility. Poland seems to be the Italy of the boom of the 60s. A boom destined to grow also thanks to the discovery of new shale gas deposits, which provide an energy prospect for the coming years in continuous expansion. In the report by Cristiano Barbarossa. Back pain is a life companion, which every now and then comes back to life.

In the fifth episode of Superquark, for the BBC Frozen Planet series, we will see the hardest test for life in the Arctic and Antarctic: winter, the season in which temperatures plummet to -70 degrees and winds reach 200 km/h. Darkness and ice extend along the polar regions, where only a few survivors will have the courage to remain. Did you have measles as a child? Many children have gone through this disease. Almost always without problems. In reality, it is a disease that in some cases can be fatal. In Europe, in recent years, its frequency has quadrupled, because it is a highly contagious disease, but one that could be completely eradicated. In the report by Barbara Gallavotti, made with Giulia De Francovich and Cristina Scardovi. Alberto Angela will be at Villa Farnesina in Rome. One of the most noble and harmonious creations of the Italian Renaissance, frescoed by Raphael, Sebastiano del Piombo, Giovanni Antonio Bazzi, known as Sodoma.

In the sixth episode of Superquark, for the BBC Frozen Planet series, The Ice Planet, In the episode The Last Frontiers, we will discover the extraordinary richness and wonders of the polar regions, which for thousands of years have been an irresistible attraction for many peoples. Today their survival is based on a combination of ancient wisdom and cutting-edge science. There are one hundred thousand hairs that normally make up the hair of a man and a woman. And we consider them one of the most precious parts, but alas, in at least 50% of men and 20% of women the hair of youth is destined to thin out to give way to a less pleasant baldness. Why does hair fall out and how well do the treatments available today work? In the report by Lorenzo Pinna. Vertical Moscow is the title of this week's report by Alberto Angela, who will accompany us on a curious visit to the city of the Kremlin, through its golden domes and its new skyscrapers.

In the seventh episode of Superquark, the documentary: “Underwater with crocodiles”. The Nile crocodile dominates African waterways unchallenged. It is one of the largest and most feared reptiles on our planet. Since they are able to grab victims from the banks and boats, crocodiles terrorize the inhabitants of the villages with which they share the river. The naturalist operator Brad Bestelink is planning an incredible feat, he wants to dive into the waters of the Okavango Delta, to study these unpredictable creatures in their natural habitat. The goal is very ambitious. To erase the polio virus from the face of the Earth by 2013, to cause its extinction. This is the project of the World Health Organization that, for over 20 years, has been engaged in a relentless fight against an infectious disease that causes very serious paralysis and affects especially the youngest.

In the eighth episode of Superquark, the documentary takes us to the heart of India, to Ranthambhore National Park, where an extraordinary dynasty of tigers is in danger. Machli, the queen mother, has ruled her kingdom for more than 10 years, but now her daughter has set her sights on the throne, which is also disputed by other rivals. Adult tigers are solitary creatures, and shortly after two years of age, they need to go and live alone, to find their own territory... or they can choose to fight for the right to stay. For a very long time, millions of people have suffered from a strange disease, the causes of which were unknown, celiac disease. To eliminate the problem, simply avoid eating foods that contain certain cereals. But it is important to be able to have a diagnosis as early as possible, especially for children, because it can represent a problem during the growth period.

In this episode of Superquark: how to finance and support the cultural industry? From Brazil an interesting answer for cinema and television. Two very young chess champions, Marina and Savino Brunello, describe their passion in the studio with Piero Angela. From the United States comes the first real bionic leg, a robot that replaces the functions of the human limb. In search of wrecks and sunken treasures: Odissey, the American company, tries to bring together marine archaeology and business. Which song torments you? An English psychologist explains why some refrains obsess us. In a neuronatal intensive care unit, to discover the most defenseless victims of our bad use of antibiotics. Once upon a time there was the roll of film for photographs, then everything changed and with the film, one of the greatest companies of the 1900s also disappeared: Kodak.

In the tenth episode of Superquark, Ushuaia Nature travels to the gigantic and fascinating universe of caves and abysses, to this world that hosts - both literally and figuratively - real precious stones. Nicolas Hulot and his team will cross Mexico, Panama, the Dominican Republic, to finally land on the lost island of Malpelo, in the country of Eldorado, to meet the creatures of the ocean darkness. At the Laboratory of Psychophysiology of Sleep at Sapienza University, they are studying how to cure insomnia through neurostimulation. According to researchers, by applying electrodes to specific areas of the skull and conveying a very light and imperceptible electric current, with an inhibitory or excitatory action on the brain circuits, it is possible to modulate the ability to fall asleep. Fall asleep with a click, in the report by Marco Visalberghi and Barbara Bernardini.