Deadly Science

Humanity’s drive to push the bounds of the known world sometimes results in tragedy — but science still remembers the breakthroughs.

Explorers get caught in a storm. Inventors are taken down by their own machines. Great thinkers face persecution, launching ideas before society is ready. Though these martyrs of the mind suffered greatly for their brilliance, their work echoes through the long arc of history. From Spanish physician Servetus, burned at the stake for daring to advance medical knowledge, to George Mallory who may have been the first to the summit of Everest, to Marie Curie who pushed the science of radiation too far, and Dian Fossey, famed ape researcher, found murdered at her camp. Who were these men and women — and what are their stories? What gifts did they give humanity before they paid the price?

Using archive, experts, CGI and historic reenactments, we bring them and their inventions back to life.

Featured Episodes: Dangerous Heights, Female Inventors, Against Nature, Long Forgotten Tracks, In the Name of Medicine, Ahead of Their Time