Du Sautoy Examines What Makes a Genius in New Documentary

August 4, 2010 

The BBC program "What Makes a Genius?" will premiere on the Science Channel on August 16, 2010.

The 50-minute documentary features an impressive line-up of researchers, artists, and savants, including mathematician-magician Arthur Benjamin (Harvey Mudd College).

Brain specialist Justin P. Halberda (Johns Hopkins University) is shown tesUniversity of Louisvilleting children for latent mathematical ability. Neurobiologist Manuel Casanova () claims to have detected differences in brain structure that may account for unusual intelligence; Elly Nedivi (MIT) may have found a gene tied to learning.

Du Sautoy introduces viewers to the artist Tommy, who uses his whole house as a canvas; to Derek, who is blind, autistic—and a gifted pianist; and to Claire, also blind, but who can "see" using sounds.

During his segment, Art Benjamin amazes Du Sautoy, and several passersby in a Boston train station, with a demonstration of how to rapidly—and mentally—square a five-digit number.

Preview Benjamin's display of mathematical wizardry—and learn how you can do it, too—here. For more, see Math in the News "Mathematical Ability May Be Related to an Inborn Sense of Number" (September 11, 2008) and watch Benjamin dazzle Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report here.

Source: Movies, Series, Docs, etc.