Mozart wowed audiences as a child. The Beatles blew away Ed Sullivan. Beyonce hypnotized Super Bowl crowds. The world has been enthralled by those we call musical geniuses. But what defines a musical genius? And how does society recognize it? We probe these questions as we examine the life and career of Aretha Franklin, a transformational figure in American ... Show More
Jul 2023
Trapped in the icy waters of the Northwest Passage
For centuries, the Northwest Passage, the long-sought sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through northern Canada, was a holy grail of Arctic exploration. Even now, sailing through it isn’t guaranteed. Mark Synnott, a National Geographic Explorer, writer, and adv ... Show More
34m 16s
Jul 2023
Playback: Modern Lives, Ancient Caves
There’s a lost continent waiting to be explored, and it’s right below our feet. We’ll dig into the deep human relationship to the underground—and why we understand it from an instinctive point of view, but not so much from a physical one. (Hint: We’re afraid of the dark.) In an e ... Show More
28m 39s
Jun 2023
Playback: This Indigenous Practice Fights Fire with Fire
For decades, the U.S. government evangelized fire suppression, most famously through Smokey Bear’s wildfire prevention campaign. But as climate change continues to exacerbate wildfire seasons and a growing body of scientific research supports using fire to fight fire, Indigenous ... Show More
29m 8s
May 2021
Episode 25: "Genius: Aretha" Part 3 - Becoming Aretha with Cynthia Erivo, Coree Moreno and Terrell Mullin
Oscar-nominated, Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award winner Cynthia Erivo discusses her portrayal of Aretha Franklin in National Geographic’s “Genius: Aretha”, a performance that has been called “incandescent” by The New York Times. To project both confidence and vulnerability, and sing ... Show More
46m 20s
Nov 2025
S2E4: Savants: When Brilliance Drops In
<p>Last week we wondered if ideas can be downloaded. This week, we ask if talent can be, too. We meet congenital, acquired, and sudden savants whose gifts in music, math, art, and memory appear without training. A psychiatrist’s lifelong work reframes savant syndrome as brillianc ... Show More
1 h