Operation Ouch Season 7 Episode 24 Sparkles and Spins

In the twenty-fourth episode of the seventh season of Operation Ouch, entitled Sparkles and Spins, the doctors get ready for a party with glitter and they travel to Australia to try and find out why people feel dizzy when they spin.

Dr. Chris and Dr. Xand start the episode by exploring some fun and glittery experiments for a party. They show how to make a glitter bomb, create a glittering tornado, and even how to make an invisible glitter slime. They also explain why glitter sticks to everything by showing how the static electricity in our hair and clothes attracts small particles like glitter.

After exploring the fascinating world of glitter, Dr. Chris and Dr. Xand head to Australia to investigate why spinning makes people feel dizzy. They start by visiting a science museum where they try out a few spinning rides and talk to a scientist who explains the three parts of the ear that are responsible for maintaining our balance: the semicircular canals, the utricle, and the saccule.

To illustrate how these parts work, Dr. Xand and Dr. Chris create a giant spinning chair in the middle of the museum. They invite visitors to sit in the chair while wearing special goggles that record their eye movements. By analyzing the eye movements, the doctors can tell whether the person is experiencing nystagmus, an involuntary movement of the eyes caused by the spinning.

Next, the doctors go to a clinic where they meet a patient who suffers from vertigo, a condition that can cause dizziness, nausea, and disorientation. They explain how vertigo can be caused by different factors, such as ear infections, head injuries, or a problem with the balance organs in the ear.

To demonstrate how the balance organs work, Dr. Chris performs a series of balance tests on his brother, including standing on one leg with his eyes closed and walking a straight line with his head tilted back. He also explains how the brain uses the information from the balance organs, together with visual and proprioceptive feedback, to create a sense of spatial orientation.

Finally, the doctors return to the UK and visit a spinning dance studio, where they meet professional dancers who perform dizzying spins and tricks. The doctors explain how dancers use a technique called spotting to reduce dizziness and maintain their balance while spinning. They also show how a spinning camera can create a stunning visual effect, called a bullet time, by capturing multiple frames of the dancer's movement.

Overall, Operation Ouch: Sparkles and Spins is a fun and informative episode that explores the science of glitter and the mystery of dizziness. The doctors use creative experiments, expert interviews, and real-life examples to teach kids about the inner workings of their ears and brains, and to illustrate how science can help us understand and enjoy the world around us.