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 learned 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.

Episode Viewers and Ratings

Season 48 Episode 13 of Horizon resulted in a 0.00 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

Horizon Season 48 Episodes...

• s48e01 - Do I Drink too Much?
• s48e02 - The Secret You
• s48e03 - Fix Me
• s48e04 - Who's Afraid of a Big Black Hole?
• s48e05 - Why Do We Talk?
• s48e06 - How Long is a Piece of String?
• s48e07 - How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth?
• s48e08 - The Secret Life of the Dog
• s48e09 - Why Do Viruses Kill?
• s48e10 - Pill Poppers
• s48e11 - Don't Grow Old
• s48e12 - To Infiity and Beyond
• s48e13 - What Makes a Genius?
• s48e14 - Did Cooking Make Us Human?
• s48e15 - Is Everything We Know About The Universe Wrong?

Horizon Show Summary

Horizon is BBC Two's flagship 50-minute science documentary series.

Recognised as the world leader in its field, it regularly wins a sweep of international science, medical and environmental film accolades, and has recently won the Royal Television Society Award and the Prix Italia.

In 2002, the British Academy of Film & Television Arts presented Horizon with the BAFTA Television Award for Best Factual Series or Strand.

In 2003 it won the prestigious Images et Science award for best medical documentary and the Carl von Linne Award at the Living Europe film festival in Sweden. That year, a Horizon co-production with WGBH Boston won the Emmy for best documentary.

In September 2014 it celebrated its 50th anniversary and it continues to enjoy outstanding critical acclaim.