What Makes a Genius?

Could you have come up with Einstein's theory of relativity? If not - why not? This is what Marcus du Sautoy, professor of mathematics, wants to explore. Marcus readily admits that he is no genius, but wants to know if geniuses are just an extreme version of himself - or whether their brains are fundamentally different. Marcus meets some remarkable individuals - Tommy, an obsessive artist who uses his whole house as his canvas; Derek: blind, autistic, and a pianist with apparently prodigious gifts; Claire who is also blind, but whose brain has learnt to see using sound. Marcus is shown how babies have remarkable abilities which most of us lose as teenagers. He meets a neuroscientist who claims he has evidence of innate ability, a scientist who's identified a gene for learning, and Dr. Paulus, who has discovered how to sharpen the brain... by electrically turbo-charging it.

Other episodes for this season

Do I Drink Too Much?
Episode 1 - Do I Drink Too Much?
The Secret You
Episode 2 - The Secret You
Fix Me
Episode 3 - Fix Me
Who's Afraid of a Big Black Hole?
Episode 4 - Who's Afraid of a Big Bla...
Why Do We Talk?
Episode 5 - Why Do We Talk?
How Long is a Piece of String?
Episode 6 - How Long is a Piece of St...
The Secret Life of the Dog
Episode 7 - The Secret Life of the Do...
Why Do Viruses Kill?
Episode 8 - Why Do Viruses Kill?
Pill Poppers
Episode 9 - Pill Poppers
Don't Grow Old
Episode 10 - Don't Grow Old
To Infinity and Beyond
Episode 11 - To Infinity and Beyond
What Makes a Genius?
Episode 12 - What Makes a Genius?
Did Cooking Make Us Human?
Episode 13 - Did Cooking Make Us Human...
Is Everything We Know About the Universe Wrong?
Episode 14 - Is Everything We Know Abo...