All language subtitles for The UnXplained S04E02 The Mystery of Genius 1080p HULU WEB-DL AAC2 0 H 264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

WILLIAM SHATNER:
From great thinkers

to revolutionary inventors...

...to brilliant artists...

geniuses have used their
mysterious powers to shape

the course of human history.

Genius.

It's a word we use to describe

extraordinary individuals
whose intellect or abilities

go far beyond the norm.

But is genius a special quality

that only a select few
are born with?

Or, can it be unlocked
in anyone's brain,

at any time, with the right key?

Well, that is what
we'll try and find out.

♪ ♪

SHATNER:
In this suburb located

seven miles from downtown
Los Angeles,

lives Kashe Quest.

Although Kashe is similar

to other three-year-olds
in some ways,

her mental abilities
are astonishing.

Some experts have even
claimed that she is a genius.

SUKHJIT ATHWAL:
Let's do a few elements.

-Are you ready?
-Yeah.

-Are you ready?
-Yeah.
All right, what's this one?

All right, what's this one?

-Chlorine.
-Chlorine. What's this one?

-Helium.
-Helium.

What's this one?

What's this one?
-Beryllium.
-What's this?

-Beryllium.
-What's this?

-Beryllium.
-What's this?
KASHE:
Copper.

KASHE:
Copper.

You got to take turns.

SHATNER:
Since the age of two,
Kashe has been able

to visually recognize
and memorize

to visually recognize
and memorize
the elements
on the periodic table,

the elements
on the periodic table,

and all 50 states on the map,

which the vast majority
of children her age cannot do.

In fact, Kashe is the youngest
person ever admitted into Mensa,

the most prestigious
high-intelligence society

in the world.

in the world.
But is it really possible

But is it really possible

for someone who is
only three years old

for someone who is
only three years old
to qualify as a genius?

to qualify as a genius?

ATHWAL:
Very early on, she was
just always keen to learning.

ATHWAL:
Very early on, she was
just always keen to learning.
She identified all, you know,

She identified all, you know,

She identified all, you know,
basic preschool skills

basic preschool skills

at 18 months,
which were shapes, colors,

numbers, letters and sounds.

Once we started reading her
books and doing puzzles,

we just realized how much
she was actually retaining.

Show Mommy South Africa.

Kashe is a toddler
with gifted abilities.

There it is!

There it is!
Our pediatrician did say

Our pediatrician did say

she's doing a lot of things
that, in her history

of being a pediatrician,

she has not seen
other children do.

Show Mommy Indonesia.

And that's what led us
to get her tested

And that's what led us
to get her tested
to identify her IQ.

to identify her IQ.

There it is!

And we found out
that her IQ was 146.

SHATNER:
According to experts,

an IQ, or intelligence quotient,

higher than 140
qualifies as genius-level.

For decades, scientists have
used various kinds of IQ tests

to try and unravel
the mystery of what makes

someone a genius.

DARRIN McMAHON:
The basis of

what we call the IQ test
was developed

by a French psychologist
by the name of Alfred Binet,

at the beginning
of the 20th century.

That original diagnostic
developed by Binet

was then taken
by the American psychologist

Lewis Terman at Stanford.

He does this big study
around San Francisco

where they just administer
the IQ test to school children

and he tries to weed out
anyone below an IQ of 140,

which he identifies
as the genius level.

SHATNER:
There were two boys

who participated in Terman's
study who would go on to win

the Nobel Prize in Physics
when they grew up.

the Nobel Prize in Physics
when they grew up.
William Shockley
and Luis Alvarez.

William Shockley
and Luis Alvarez.

But curiously, because their
IQs were less than 140,

But curiously, because their
IQs were less than 140,
the study did not consider them

the study did not consider them

to have genius-level
intelligence.

McMAHON:
It just goes to show you that

genius and intelligence
are not the same thing.

You can have a high IQ,
but not necessarily

have all the other kind of
skills that are necessary to...

have all the other kind of
skills that are necessary to...
to produce great things.

to produce great things.

RAMANI DURVASULA: The big
problem with this word "genius"

is that nobody agrees
upon the definition.

All we do know
is when we hear it,

we know that the person,
who is a so-called genius,

is in possession
of abilities or skills

that are far beyond
the pale of what most

ordinary human beings possess.

SHATNER:
But if an IQ score

doesn't answer the question
of what makes

doesn't answer the question
of what makes
someone a genius,
then what does?

someone a genius,
then what does?

What is the common trait,
or combination of traits

What is the common trait,
or combination of traits
that allows geniuses to make

that allows geniuses to make

such important
contributions to society?

such important
contributions to society?
Some experts believe

Some experts believe

that a clue can be found
by examining both

the role that geniuses
have played in history

and how our perception
of genius has changed over time.

DEAN SIMONTON:
Genius is

a term that actually
goes back to ancient Rome,

a term that actually
goes back to ancient Rome,
and therefore, it's acquired

and therefore, it's acquired

a lot of different meanings
in 2,000 years.

If you look at a lot
of historical examples

of geniuses like Aristotle
and Plato,

Isaac Newton, Beethoven
and Albert Einstein,

these are people who are making

very important, highly valued
contributions to our...

our culture,
to our civilization.

We're talking about science,

literature, something
that is valued by the culture,

an artistic masterpiece,
an absolutely

an artistic masterpiece,
an absolutely
incredible contribution

incredible contribution

to a major area of achievement.

McMAHON:
We need to be cautious
about thinking of genius

as a universal trait.

Genius is less a quality
inherent in people...

...and more a label that
we apply to people of supreme

intelligence or creative
capacity or productivity.

intelligence or creative
capacity or productivity.
And the criteria that we use

And the criteria that we use

to apply that label change.

Different skills, different
gifts, different capacities,

they change from time to place
and have changed over history.

SHATNER:
Our understanding

of the nature of genius
has clearly evolved.

of the nature of genius
has clearly evolved.
And will continue
to evolve in the future.

And will continue
to evolve in the future.

But there's another
question about genius

But there's another
question about genius
that has been debated
for centuries.

that has been debated
for centuries.

Do some people
come into the world

already possessing genius

or is it developed after birth?

One dominant idea
that evolves around genius,

One dominant idea
that evolves around genius,
is that genius is born,
not made.

is that genius is born,
not made.

The great kind of test case
in this regard is Mozart.

Mozart is a child prodigy,

Mozart is a child prodigy,
he has genius
from the beginning,

he has genius
from the beginning,

and he carries that out
throughout the rest of his life.

And so to contemporaries,
he seemed to confirm

this belief
that genius is just there.

Either you have it or you don't.

Looking at the other side
of things,

we know that his father
was a music teacher,

and the he surely clocked
the requisite 10,000 hours

of training and practice to make
him the prodigy that he became.

So there is this kind of idea
now that just intelligence

is not enough, so there is
a big debate about this.

But we don't know. (laughs)
That's what makes it a mystery.

SHATNER:
Today, there are some
experts who believe

that genius is a special quality

that certain individuals
are simply born with.

that certain individuals
are simply born with.
But not everyone
agrees with that theory.

But not everyone
agrees with that theory.

In fact,
at Johns Hopkins University

In fact,
at Johns Hopkins University
in Baltimore, Maryland,

in Baltimore, Maryland,

a program has actually
been instituted

for the purpose
of developing geniuses.

It's called CTY, or
the Center for Talented Youth.

DURVASULA:
CTY or the Center
for Talented Youth

DURVASULA:
CTY or the Center
for Talented Youth
identifies gifted youth

identifies gifted youth

and gives them all kinds
of enriched

educational experiences,
higher level coursework.

Things that are
typically at a higher level

than what a child would
be receiving at school

in that particular grade
or age level.

With the idea being that
because these children

are such talented children,
that they need

this enrichment to be able
to cultivate them

so that they can sort of reach
their fullest potential.

so that they can sort of reach
their fullest potential.
Some of the famous alumni

Some of the famous alumni

of CTY include Mark Zuckerberg,

Sergey Brin, who was
the cofounder of Google.

So clearly, some of the people
who've come out of this program

have shaped society
in rather permanent ways.

SIMONTON:
Our civilization,
our culture, is pretty much

defined by our geniuses
in the past.

And when a society

loses its geniuses,

when it stops
producing its geniuses,

it descends into a dark age.

And so that leads
to the question,

what are some things
we should look for to identify

what are some things
we should look for to identify
geniuses or potential geniuses?

geniuses or potential geniuses?

And what can we do

to encourage the emergence
of genius because

genius is an important
thing to cultivate.

Is it true that real genius
can only blossom

when someone receives
the proper attention?

It's an interesting notion,
but it also makes you wonder,

what happens
when a gifted person

doesn't receive
the right kind of guidance?

Perhaps a clue can be found
in the story of a man

who many believe
to be the embodiment

of evil genius.

SHATNER:
A 16-year-old math prodigy

is invited to attend
Harvard University--

one of only a handful
ever to be admitted so young.

As an adult, he goes on
to become a brilliant

As an adult, he goes on
to become a brilliant
and distinguished
mathematics professor.

and distinguished
mathematics professor.

His name is Ted Kaczynski or,

His name is Ted Kaczynski or,
as he's better known today,

as he's better known today,

the "Unabomber."

LIS WIEHL:
Ted Kaczynski was

a brilliant man, a wunderkind
when he was a child

who turned all that brilliance
and genius towards evil.

(sirens wailing)

REPORTER: The Unabomber
has been spreading terror

one small bomb
at a time for 17 years.

WIEHL:
From 1978 until 1995,

Ted Kaczynski
bombed universities,

tech centers, an airline.

Three people died
and 20-some were maimed

over the time.

And he would transport

the bombs in different ways.

Some he mailed

and others, he would actually
deliver it, leave,

and then sit back
and wait for the reaction.

He kept the nation
in suspense and fear.

People were afraid
of opening mail.

MOSS:
The term "Unabomb"

comes from the code word
given to the case

because the initial few bombs
appeared to have something to do

with either universities
or with the airline industry.

Now, later there were
other targets, but by then

the code name for the case
had already been chosen.

SHATNER:
But what led Ted Kaczynski

SHATNER:
But what led Ted Kaczynski
down such a dark path?

down such a dark path?

Many researchers believe
it traces back

to when he was
identified as being

exceptionally intelligent
when he was very young.

Ted Kaczynski, uh,
is a very interesting

case because evidently

he was a pretty well-adapted
kid in elementary school,

and actually was considered
to be something of a leader.

And then, somebody got
the bright idea

that he should take an IQ test.

He did, and got
an IQ score of 167.

You have to have 140
to be defined as a genius.

So, what's 167?

That's one
out of a million people.

It was recommended by the school

that he skip a grade
when he was only ten years old.

So to skip from
fifth to seventh grade.

The problem with it is

he was with older kids
that he didn't know.

He became more and more
socially isolated.

David, his younger brother,

reports that at one point,
Kaczynski was

reports that at one point,
Kaczynski was
being very mean to him.

being very mean to him.

And Ted says, "Sometimes
geniuses can be sadistic."

He was acknowledging

that as a genius,
he could be bad,

sadistic, and he could work
that genius for evil.

SHATNER:
Ted Kaczynski graduated
from Harvard in 1962,

SHATNER:
Ted Kaczynski graduated
from Harvard in 1962,
at the age of 20.

at the age of 20.

He then pursued his PhD
at the University of Michigan,

where he did groundbreaking work

where he did groundbreaking work
in the field of mathematics.

in the field of mathematics.

PUCKETT:
One of the hallmarks
of his intelligence

was in the late '60s.

He won an award for his
dissertation, in fact, his PhD

in Mathematics
at Ann Arbor in Michigan,

because he solved a theorem
that had been thought

unsolvable for decades
by mathematicians.

He solved it, and published it.

WIEHL:
From Michigan, then
he went to Berkeley

to teach mathematics.

He was the youngest
assistant professor

that the mathematics
department had ever had.

But the students hated him,
absolutely loathed him.

He didn't have any class hours,
he wouldn't talk to them.

I mean, he was very
disdainful of everybody.

PUCKETT:
His genius was in everything

but social commerce
with other people.

He wasn't able to negotiate

the social world
with other people.

And so, he grew convinced

that he had to get away
from people, away from society.

SHATNER:
In 1969, Kaczynski

suddenly and unexpectedly

resigned from his position
at Berkeley.

He then withdrew from society
by moving to Lincoln, Montana,

He then withdrew from society
by moving to Lincoln, Montana,
where he lived in a small cabin

where he lived in a small cabin

that did not have
running water or electricity.

WIEHL:
The cabin was just
this rustic place off the grid,

8 by 12 feet,

but that was
his getting off the grid,

and getting so far away

from civilization, everything.

PUCKETT:
He was very happy when
he first moved to the woods.

He wrote rapturously about it,

about how beautiful it was.

But then, planes started
flying overhead.

He noticed motorcyclists
riding through the forest

and disturbing the nature
that he was glorying in.

and disturbing the nature
that he was glorying in.
It turned to bitter hatred

It turned to bitter hatred

of the technological society.

He viewed technology as evil,

as the evolution
of technology as evil,

and the technical class
as perverting the human spirit.

MOSS:
What he discovers is,

he can't get away
from society even there.

The society that
he's trying to escape

is closing in on him anyway.

And there's nothing
he can do about it,

so he strikes back.

PUCKETT:
He had taught himself
bomb making.

He ended up
creating chemical mixes,

melting his own components,
and casting them

and putting them
into the devices,

carving wood to make
specific trigger switches.

He was a brilliant
criminal in that

He was a brilliant
criminal in that
he was able to expertly

he was able to expertly

exclude anything identifying
himself, any hairs,

any fibers, any fingerprints.

He was unlike any bomber
that we had seen before.

SHATNER:
In 1978, Kaczynski
carried out his first attack,

by mailing a parcel
containing a homemade bomb

by mailing a parcel
containing a homemade bomb
to Northwestern University.

to Northwestern University.

It was the beginning
of a reign of terror

during which he carried out
a total of 16 bombings

over the course
of nearly two decades.

For Kaczynski, these attacks
were not random killings

but rather targeted strikes
against the institutions

he believed represented
technological society.

His purpose was
to-to wake people up

His purpose was
to-to wake people up
to the dangers of technology.

to the dangers of technology.

He would not have been
able to promote his views

if he had not gotten
the attention of the media

and the government
and law enforcement,

by killing people

by killing people
with his bombs.

with his bombs.

That was his goal.

SHATNER:
In 1995, Kaczynski wrote
an anonymous 35,000-word

SHATNER:
In 1995, Kaczynski wrote
an anonymous 35,000-word
anti-technology manifesto

anti-technology manifesto

that he demanded to be
published in major newspapers.

Ironically...

it was a decision that
would lead to his undoing.

PUCKETT:
Ted's brother, David,
had read the manifesto and

phrases jumped out
at David right away

and he had to try
to push them down,

and he had to try
to push them down,
"It can't be, it can't be."

"It can't be, it can't be."

There were phrases
that appeared in the manifesto

that were unusual spellings
that appeared,

that were unusual,

and David recognized it.

The upshot was that finally
David and his wife

went to an attorney in D.C.
and said,

"We'd like to approach the FBI."

SHATNER:
On April 3, 1996,

FBI agents finally
arrested Kaczynski

at his Montana cabin.

He was found guilty
on all counts

that were charged
in the indictment.

Had the "Unabomb Manifesto"
not been published,

it's my view that we probably
would still be looking

it's my view that we probably
would still be looking
for Theodore Kaczynski.

for Theodore Kaczynski.

WIEHL:
Ted's evil genius
helped him build bombs

that nobody could trace.

And yet, the evil genius
needed to be fed with hubris

and acknowledgement,

and that ultimately
was his downfall.

The life of Ted Kaczynski
tells a cautionary tale

of a brilliant
and educated mind gone bad.

But fortunately, genius
comes in many different forms,

like in the case
of two bicycle repair men

who managed to change
the course of human history.

SHATNER: Witnesses gather
to watch the final test

SHATNER: Witnesses gather
to watch the final test
of a revolutionary
new flying machine

of a revolutionary
new flying machine

invented by brothers
Wilbur and Orville Wright.

CHIP WALTON:
Orville took his position
in the cradle.

CHIP WALTON:
Orville took his position
in the cradle.
Wilbur was on the right wing.

Wilbur was on the right wing.

They started the engine.

And lo and behold,
40 feet down the rail,

the aircraft lifts up.

They flew 120 feet
in 12 seconds.

12 seconds
that changed the history

12 seconds
that changed the history
of mankind forever.

of mankind forever.

SHATNER:
The successful test

of the Wright brothers'
flying machine

was a watershed moment
in human history.

The 12-second flight proved
that sustained, controlled,

powered flight was,
in fact, possible.

For the Wright brothers,
this achievement was

the fulfillment
of a childhood dream.

SHILO BROOKS:
One of the most

SHILO BROOKS:
One of the most
extraordinary things
about the Wrights

extraordinary things
about the Wrights

is the fact that they were
two ordinary people

from a middle-class family
in Ohio.

Their father was a bishop,
and he was a voracious reader,

and so there were books
in the Wright household

of all sorts.

Their mother was
a sort of mechanical wiz.

She loved fixing things,
building them toys,

and so they got

and so they got
a sort of taste from her,

a sort of taste from her,

a sort of taste from her,
a kind of mechanical taste.

a kind of mechanical taste.

COLLINS:
The story of the Wright brothers

actually started
25 years before Kitty Hawk

when they were seven
and 11 years old...

...when their father
brought home

the toy flying machine
built by a Frenchman

Alphonse Pénaud.

This was powered by the force
of a twisted rubber band.

And that really amazed
the Wright brothers

'cause they had never seen a toy
flying machine in their lives.

Being curious, they played
with it and they broke it,

but they didn't
just throw it away.

but they didn't
just throw it away.
First they repaired it,

First they repaired it,

but then they started to
reproduce the toy themselves.

SHATNER: The Wright brothers
chose to pursue their dream

of taking flight,

not by attending a prestigious
university but rather

by opening a small bicycle shop

in 1892.

BROOKS:
The Wrights owned
the Wright Cycle Company

in, uh, Dayton, Ohio,
and they were

bicycle salesmen, uh,
and-and repairmen.

They were always curious,

technically minded,
motivated young people

who built a bicycle shop
and made a profit

in order to put money
into test flights.

At one point,
Wilbur says the problem

of flight is actually
a thousand problems.

First, you have to raise
the money to solve the problem.

Well, that's a very
different disposition

than the technical mind who can

figure out the, uh, the
equations for air pressure

and lift
and these sorts of things.

And that is a very
different mind

than the mind that's interested
in fashioning actual parts

from muslin and wood,
and building a motor

and propellers
and these sorts of things.

And what really gave the Wrights

the impetus they needed to solve

all of those problems

was that they were relentlessly
curious about the world.

And if someone said that
something couldn't be done,

And if someone said that
something couldn't be done,
they thought, why not?

they thought, why not?

SHATNER: In 1899,
the Wright brothers performed

their first flight experiment

by testing a rudimentary
kite flyer.

They also looked to nature

for clues on how to solve
the problem

for clues on how to solve
the problem
of powered flight.

of powered flight.

They saw all these examples
in nature of flight,

They saw all these examples
in nature of flight,
the butterfly, the dragon flies,

the butterfly, the dragon flies,

the buzzards and vultures.

And they found that there
were two methods of flight:

the fast wing beaters,

and then the soaring birds.

They patterned their
machine after a particular bird,

the turkey vulture, which
was a very good soaring bird.

They would read books
about animal locomotion

and look at birds' wings.

And people were like,
"What are those guys doing?"

But they were looking at the way
the birds twist their wings.

Because neither
of them went to college,

the Wrights benefited

from breaking the chains

that might have otherwise
have bound their minds.

SHATNER:
The Wright brothers
took these unconventional

observations of animals
flying in nature,

and applied them
to their flight experiments.

This innovative approach

would prove to be
a stroke of genius.

WALTON:
The major breakthrough

that the Wright brothers
discovered was,

the curvature of the wing

has a dramatic effect
on the ability

to produce lift.

Wilbur one day
was in the bicycle shop

Wilbur one day
was in the bicycle shop
and he held a bicycle

and he held a bicycle

inner-tube box, and as he
twisted the ends of the box,

he had an aha moment

and realized that
the box ends move

very much like the wing tips
of the birds.

He integrated that idea into
what he called wing-warping

and the wing design that we see
on the 1903 Wright Flyer.

The Wright brothers always said

when people asked them, "What
got you interested in flight?

What made it such
that you wanted to solve

the problem of flight?

Why did you persevere through
all your failures?"

They would say,

"We did it for fun.
We were having fun."

And then they would say,
"We were frustrated

"that a lot of smart people
thought flight should work...

"...and it didn't work.

And we wanted to know why,
and we wanted to fix it."

SHATNER:
The Wright brothers'
incredible innovations

allowed them to solve
the centuries-old mystery

of powered flight.

In fact, so much of
what we take for granted today,

from commercial airlines
to space shuttles,

can be traced back to these

two ordinary brothers and their
unlikely stroke of genius.

There were many people
before the Wrights

who attempted to create
flying machines.

You can think about people
like Leonardo da Vinci.

You can think about people
like Leonardo da Vinci.
You can think about

You can think about

Edison who was interested
in the problem.

Edison who was interested
in the problem.
Alexander Graham Bell.

Alexander Graham Bell.

The genius
of the Wright brothers

is what they had was
a gumption to say, "Why not us?"

They became consumed
with solving a problem

and I think
is a kind of testament

to the geniuses that they are.

Could it be true that,
like the Wright brothers,

we are all put on this earth

with the capability to do
something extraordinary?

It's an inspiring thought,
and suggests that each of us

It's an inspiring thought,
and suggests that each of us
has our own unique
brand of genius.

has our own unique
brand of genius.

For instance, there are
certain individuals

who have the ability to perform

incredible mental feats
that virtually no one else

on earth can do.

SHATNER: In this small town
just north of Milwaukee,

stands the Treffert Center,
a state-of-the-art facility

dedicated to the study of people

who can perform
extraordinary mental feats

such as the ability
to play any song

such as the ability
to play any song
on the piano
after a single listen...

on the piano
after a single listen...

...and identifying
the day of the week

...and identifying
the day of the week
for any given date in history.

for any given date in history.

Like, if I'm looking
at the year 1985,

May 15 here.

-It was a Wednesday.
-And which part...

SHATNER: The individuals who
possess these incredible gifts

have a rare condition that
is known as Savant Syndrome.

JEREMY CHAPMAN:
Savant Syndrome is

a spectacular condition
in which an individual

who has significant
mental impairment...

...also has some sort
of an island of genius

that stands in stark
contrast to their disability.

It's commonly
associated with autism...

...but it can be other
types of neurodevelopmental

...but it can be other
types of neurodevelopmental
or intellectual disabilities.

or intellectual disabilities.

There are a number of different
savant capabilities

that we see.

Anything from music

to art, to mathematical
or calendar calculation

to art, to mathematical
or calendar calculation
can be a savant skill.

can be a savant skill.

March 27, 1947.

March 27, 1947.
That was a Thursday.

That was a Thursday.

(laughs) That's so cool.

Um, how about March 27,
1974 then?

A Wednesday.

CHAPMAN: Ben Wilson
is a calendar calculator.

You can ask him

what day of the week was it
on such and such date

what day of the week was it
on such and such date
in the past or future.

in the past or future.

March 18, 1837,

March 18, 1837,
which was a Saturday.

which was a Saturday.

He estimates he has
about a 500-year span

that you can ask him about,
and he can tell you

that was a Tuesday,
that was a Wednesday.

April 28, 1758,

April 28, 1758,
which was a Friday.

which was a Friday.

It's pretty amazing.

SHATNER:
According to statistics
gathered by the Treffert Center,

there are nearly 300 people

who are known to have
Savant Syndrome...

...including
Stephen Wiltshire, who uses

his photographic memory
to draw landscapes

his photographic memory
to draw landscapes
by hand...

by hand...

and Derek Paravicini,
a renowned pianist

and Derek Paravicini,
a renowned pianist
whose ability to identify
musical notes

whose ability to identify
musical notes

is so precise,

experts have said that
he has absolute perfect pitch.

CHAPMAN: The most mystifying
elements of savantism are

the speed with which
they can do what they do,

the accuracy with which
they can do what they do,

the accuracy with which
they can do what they do,
and the automatic nature of it.

and the automatic nature of it.

and the automatic nature of it.
It takes no effort.

It takes no effort.

They can't articulate
what it is they are doing;

they just say,
"I don't know, I just saw it."

SHATNER:
One of the most notable
savants in modern times

was Kim Peek,

who served as the inspiration
for Dustin Hoffman's character

in the 1988
blockbuster film Rain Man.

in the 1988
blockbuster film Rain Man.
Before he passed away in 2009,

Before he passed away in 2009,

Kim had memorized
the complete text

of more than 12,000 books.

But what allows

these unique geniuses to perform
such astounding mental feats?

Some experts believe that
one reason may be that savants

are able to tap into the power
of the human brain

in ways that the average
person cannot.

HEATHER BERLIN:
One of the theories

of how genius is working
in the brains of savants

is that you have

the sort of compensation
in the brain of a disability.

So if you think about
other kinds of disabilities,

like someone
who is congenitally blind,

what happens is
they start developing

an extraordinary ability

to hear things because

the hearing parts of the brain,

they kind of take over
those visual areas

they kind of take over
those visual areas
that aren't being used

that aren't being used

and have a greater
sense of hearing

than a person who can see.

So if you think about
a similar concept with savants,

there might be certain
areas that are kind of

utilizing other parts
of the brain

that aren't being used as much.

SHATNER:
Could it be that savants

have extraordinary abilities

because they've activated
areas in their brains

that are normally
under-utilized by other people?

It's just one
of the possible factors

It's just one
of the possible factors
that scientists are exploring

that scientists are exploring

when it comes to
this rare form of genius.

CHAPMAN:
Savant Syndrome is such
a mysterious thing.

You have people who can do
amazing things...

...and we don't know
how that works.

One of the main reasons

that we study savants
is to learn about

their special and beautiful
talents and gifts.

And it suggests that
we may have a lot of untapped

potential lying dormant in all
of our brains that's unused,

and imagine

if we could find a way
to systematically access

if we could find a way
to systematically access
these savant skills,

these savant skills,

how many amazing things
we could produce as humankind.

Do our brains have
extraordinary powers

that most of us simply
don't understand how to use?

Untapped potential
that could transform us

instantly into a genius?

Perhaps the answer
can be found by examining

the story of a man
who became a genius

the story of a man
who became a genius
by sheer accident.

by sheer accident.

SHATNER:
32-year-old furniture salesman

Jason Padgett
is enjoying an evening

Jason Padgett
is enjoying an evening
singing karaoke
with some friends.

singing karaoke
with some friends.

But this seemingly
ordinary outing

will change his life forever.

will change his life forever.
PADGETT:
As we walked

PADGETT:
As we walked

PADGETT:
As we walked
out of the bar,
there was two guys

out of the bar,
there was two guys

that had been in there
watching us sing karaoke.

They walked out behind us,
and one of them

ran up and just smashed me
in the back of the head.

I saw like a puff
of white light...

...and the next thing
I knew, I was on the ground

just being kicked and punched
in the head and in the back.

They finally said,
"Give me your damn jacket."

And I had on this little
$99 leather jacket

and they grabbed it
and ran away.

-(siren wailing)
-SHATNER: After the attack,

Jason was rushed to the hospital

where doctors diagnosed him
with a severe concussion.

He was given instructions
to rest and recover.

But in the weeks
and months that followed,

Jason realized that the beating
he suffered had, somehow,

permanently altered his brain
in a very unexpected way.

Right after the attack occurred,

I remember on the way home
that night,

I remember on the way home
that night,
everything looking so weird.

everything looking so weird.

Things that looked smooth
didn't look smooth anymore.

They looked like there was
little tangent lines

around the edges.

around the edges.
Boundaries of objects stood out.

Boundaries of objects stood out.

Very quickly I understood
that what I was seeing

was mathematically related,

and math describing,
you know, how things move,

you know, across the sky
and things like that.

I don't even know how I knew.
It-it just was-was obvious.

SHATNER:
The injury to Jason's brain

had unlocked un uncanny
new ability in his mind.

He was now able to see

the geometry of the world
around him,

even though he had never
seriously studied mathematics.

PADGETT:
Before my injury,

I was one of those kids
that, uh,

had a very free,
kind of silly lifestyle.

Um, I just--
I goofed off a lot.

I would say things like-like,
"Math is stupid,"

or that it was kind of useless.

or that it was kind of useless.
I didn't even finish algebra.

I didn't even finish algebra.

I didn't even finish algebra.
It was such a-a change
in my reality,

It was such a-a change
in my reality,

It was such a-a change
in my reality,
from the way I was before

from the way I was before

to the way I was
after the accident.

And so, it was very
disorientating.

SHATNER:
Jason is not the only person

SHATNER:
Jason is not the only person
to develop remarkable
new abilities

to develop remarkable
new abilities

after suffering a head injury.

In fact, scientists have
actually given the phenomenon

a name.

It's called
Sudden Savant Syndrome.

BERLIN:
Sudden Savant Syndrome

is this phenomena,
which is very rare,

where somebody has some sort
of head trauma...

...and they suddenly develop
an extraordinary ability.

When this happens, brain damage
trips up the system.

Those people are
perceiving the world

Those people are
perceiving the world
in a slightly different way.

in a slightly different way.

SHATNER: In 2011,
Jason sought the help

of medical professionals

to better understand
what exactly

to better understand
what exactly
had happened inside his brain

had happened inside his brain

as a result of the injuries
he sustained.

-DOCTOR: Ready, Jason?
-Yep, I am ready. (chuckles)

PADGETT:
I went to Finland
and they did brain scans

PADGETT:
I went to Finland
and they did brain scans
called a functional MRI.

called a functional MRI.

So functional MRIs show

how much oxygen your brain
is using and where.

There was a screen
in front of me

There was a screen
in front of me
and they would flash
equations...

and they would flash
equations...

...real equations, and then they
would also flash dummy equations

that meant nothing.

And they would watch and see
what part of my brain activated

when I was doing mathematics.

And what they found was that

I had conscious access
to parts of the brain

that we normally
don't have conscious access to.

Our brains are using calculus,
derivatives,

advanced mathematics,
and it's all happening

just naturally
in the background.

We're all doing it.
We're just not aware of it.

And I was forced
to be aware of it.

SHATNER:
Since becoming a sudden savant,

Jason has used
his unique abilities

to create internationally
renowned pieces of art.

Because he can see math
everywhere,

he is able to draw
complex shapes by hand

that are geometrically correct.

Jason has also used his gift

to conduct research
in the field of number theory.

PADGETT:
I definitely think

what has happened to me
is a blessing now.

It's enriched my life in ways

that I-I never would
have thought possible.

I never would have thought
that I would be excited by math.

SHATNER:
Approximately 32 cases
of Sudden Savant Syndrome

have been diagnosed to date...

including people
such as Derek Amato,

who became a musical savant
after hitting his head

in a diving accident.

And Orlando Serrell,
who developed the ability

to solve complex
calendar calculations

after being struck in the side
of the head by a baseball.

These cases of instant genius

have led some scientists
to believe it's possible

that we could all have
the hidden potential for genius

locked deep within our minds.

I'm absolutely certain
that our brains

I'm absolutely certain
that our brains
all have untapped ability.

all have untapped ability.

It's like we come loaded
with a certain amount of like

software, like a computer.

It's just a matter
of finding a way to tap it.

Would you be willing
to endure a head injury

to become a genius overnight?

Well, there are those
who believe

you don't have
to take that chance

because soon we'll be able
to create new geniuses,

because soon we'll be able
to create new geniuses,
not by accident

not by accident

but by harnessing the power
of genetic engineering.

SHATNER: Scientists at the
Beijing Genomics Institute

announce the launch
of an ambitious new project.

Their goal is to see
if genius can be produced

in a lab.

BERLIN:
Some scientists

collected the genetic data
from 2,000 people

who have a very high IQ,

and they were trying to crack
the code of the relationship

between their genome
and their intelligence.

If we crack the code
of understanding,

say, the neural basis of genius,

then we will have the capacity
ultimately to go in

and manipulate people's brains

at the genetic level
to make them super geniuses.

SHATNER:
Is it possible that

by manipulating certain genes,
scientists can

unlock the potential
for genius in anyone?

SIMONTON: There have been
attempts to see if you

SIMONTON: There have been
attempts to see if you
can identify specific genes

can identify specific genes

that are associated with genius.

It turns out this is
a very difficult thing to do.

Most human characteristics
are what are called polygenic.

That means they are made up
of multiple genes,

and there are hundreds of genes

and there are hundreds of genes
that are responsible
for intelligence,

that are responsible
for intelligence,

and these genes will often
interact in complex ways

and these genes will often
interact in complex ways
that we don't
completely understand.

that we don't
completely understand.

MICHIO KAKU:
The point is that there's
no one "smart gene."

Genius and intelligence

is a collection of many genes,
many attributes

that collectively create
this supernova

that change the entire
intellectual landscape.

So, I think that we are far
from being able to create

So, I think that we are far
from being able to create
a race of super intelligent

a race of super intelligent

a race of super intelligent
genetically enhanced people.

genetically enhanced people.

SHATNER:
Perhaps another reason

why genius is so
difficult to engineer

is because it remains
an elusive, intangible quality

that takes many different forms.

DURVASULA:
One way to view genius

is to just notice all
the different facets of it.

There is not just
intellectual genius

but musical genius,
athletic genius or what we call

kinesthetic intelligence,
or social genius.

Ultimately, we really
don't know what makes a genius.

However, people who have
extraordinary abilities,

However, people who have
extraordinary abilities,
whether that's intellectually...

whether that's intellectually...

...socially, creatively,

we do have this sort of
fascination with them.

We often view genius
as a superpower

'cause we make the assumption
that a genius

could help all of humanity.

McMAHON:
It's very clear

that human beings
believe that geniuses

are exception to the ordinary
laws of nature,

are exception to the ordinary
laws of nature,
uh, or of humanity.

uh, or of humanity.

That they can do

That they can do
what ordinary
human beings can't.

what ordinary
human beings can't.

Geniuses are the X factor
that we need in the world.

Geniuses give us inventions.

They give us great art.

They give us insights
that we wouldn't have otherwise.

They give us insights
that we wouldn't have otherwise.
We don't want to strip the world

We don't want to strip the world

We don't want to strip the world
of magic, of mystery,

of magic, of mystery,

of the capacity to suspend
the ordinary rules.

And this is
what geniuses give us.

Just imagine a world
full of geniuses.

Just imagine a world
full of geniuses.
(hisses)
It's certainly intriguing.

(hisses)
It's certainly intriguing.

But is it really possible?

Perhaps, instead of
using technology

to engineer brilliance,
we should simply appreciate

that true genius is special,
unique, extraordinary,

one of mankind's greatest
mysteries that remains

unexplained.

unexplained.
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