Trailer

Prodigy was inspired by one question. Can genius be created? Many believe it can, because its already happened…

In the 1980’s, a Hungarian educational psychologist showed it was possible. He began training his children when they were only 3 years old. They broke gender barriers and dominated competitive chess for 20 years.

An 32 year old man was assaulted one night, outside of a bar. The resulting concussion rewired his brain, creating a neurological condition that made him a mathematical savant.

London taxi drivers have to memorize 25,000 streets in a 5 mile radius. Brain scans revealed that their hippocampus had grown, in the area responsible for memory and learning.

Could we create changes in the brain like this, on purpose? Or is there a genetic barrier inherited from our parents, that cannot be crossed? We inherit physical traits… eye color, skin color, height, hairline, dimples. even earlobes. How much of our intelligence is inherited?

There are methods for finding out, but the knowledge could come with serious consequences…

In pursuit of these answers I spoke with brilliant academics, social scientists, ground breaking researchers, and the prodigies themselves and gained a better understanding of intelligence, skill acquisition and expert performance.

Disregard simple explanations because complex questions require complex answers.

My name is Lowell Brillante and I’m seeking the answer to a very complicated question, what is the nature of our intelligence?

Listen to Prodigy starting December 3rd (every thursday) on the iheartradio app, apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.