Connections with James Burke

Season 1

A mind-blowing romp through history builds a pathway to the present – and a breakthrough that stands to profoundly change our future.

Where to Watch Season 1

6 Episodes

  • Seeing the Future
    E1
    Seeing the FutureJames connects the dots between Napoleon’s toothpick and the Nielsen TV ratings to see how scientists have built the quantum computer – a data-processing machine so powerful that it can predict the future.
  • The End of Scarcity
    E2
    The End of ScarcityJames jumps in the sensory deprivation tank with a man who took LSD with dolphins to discover how syphilis in the French aristocracy kicked off a journey to the nanofabricator–a machine that can build anything you wish for, molecule by molecule, for free. What will that mean for the value of things?
  • In the Net
    E3
    In the NetJames opens a cabinet of curiosities to discover how the French Revolution, wallpaper, and NORAD brought about the rise of big data – and a world where humans finally merge with the internet.
  • None of This is Real
    E4
    None of This is RealDog pee, the Polaroid camera, and rocket fuel lead us to a future where AI is indistinguishable from human intelligence. If we can’t tell machines and people apart, what will that mean for humanity?
  • Designer Genes
    E5
    Designer GenesA cup of coffee in the 18th century takes James to the pioneering woman who discovered the structure of DNA, and a future with genetically engineered people. Will we want to be Super-Human?
  • Limitless Energy
    E6
    Limitless EnergyHow did a journey that began thousands of years ago with the Inca and the potato, connect to a mad scientist in a castle, and German beer, then bring us to the brink of a future with clean, limitless energy? And what will that future mean for humanity?

Cast of Season 1

  • James Burke

 

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