James Burke goes on a journey of discovery through the interlocking threads of knowledge running through history, using state of the art CGI and virtual reality to unlock the power of his extraordinary imagination.
EPISODE 1
Seeing the Future
James 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.
EPISODE 2
The End of Scarcity
James 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.
EPISODE 3
In the Net
James 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.
EPISODE 4
None of This is Real
Dog 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?
EPISODE 5
Designer Genes
A 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.
EPISODE 6
Limitless Energy
How 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, brought humanity the brink of a future with clean, limitless energy.
James Burke
Iain Riddick
John Cavanagh