Mukherjee’s The Gene: An Intimate History comes to PBS

Dick Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter yesterday called our attention to a presentation first airing on PBS next Tuesday that should be of interest most of the readers of this blog:

Ken Burns Presents the Gene: An Intimate History will be broadcast on April 7 and 14 on PBS. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D., and acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns have collaborated on the new documentary inspired by Mukherjee’s best-selling 2016 book, The Gene: An Intimate History.

The viewing guide on the PBS site gives the following preview:
 

The Gene: An Intimate History has 2 parts

 

“The Gene: An Intimate History” brings vividly to life the story of today’s revolution in medical science through present-day tales of patients and doctors at the forefront of the search for genetic treatments, interwoven with a compelling history of the discoveries that made this possible and the ethical challenges raised by the ability to edit DNA with precision.

PART 1: Dawn of the Modern Age of Genetics

PART 2: Revolution in the Treatment of Disease

This mini-series seems to have two things going for it as far as I'm concerned: Ken Burns and Siddhartha Mukherjee. Denise and I enjoy all the documentaries that Burns produces for PBS. In addition I found The Gene to be a fascinating book when I read it a couple of years ago. We have already set our DVR to record both episodes just to be sure we don't miss them. 

 

Dr. Mukherjee had a very interesting interview on CNN a couple of days ago about the COVID-19 virus. His article, "How Does the Coronavirus Behave Inside a Patient? We’ve counted the viral spread across peoples; now we need to count it within people." was published last week in the New Yorker and will be republished on Monday in the CORONAVIRUS CHRONICLES.

I hope you enjoy these presentations as much as I plan to.

Genealogy Roadshow: Nashville

Last night the Genealogy Roadshow premiered with a stop at the Belmont Mansion in Nashville. 

GENEALOGY ROADSHOW is an engaging, innovative program that reveals the bigger picture of our nation’s past, present and future,” said Beth Hoppe, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager of General Audience Programming for PBS. “With a diverse mix of stories in each episode, GENEALOGY ROADSHOW appeals to Americans interested in learning about their family histories. It also shows that no matter one’s heritage and background, everyone has a place in history.

This is the first of four stops around the country. Next Monday the Genealogy Roadshow will visit Detroit. Following weeks will feature stops in Austin and San Francisco. The program airs at 9:00 PM (8:00 Central) on Monday nights on your local Public Broadcasting channel (PBS). For now only four segments have been filmed.  

The the first segment was fast paced -- almost too fast at times -- so that the stories of many everyday folks could be explored in one hour. Historical background segments were interspersed. No genealogy researcher can know too much history. 

If you missed the first episode or you want to view it again to soak up all the details, you currently can view it online.