What Makes Genius Happen?

Savants can have severe mental disabilities, and yet are brilliant in certain areas like math, art, music, and memory. But now as Trace tells us, scientists are looking into what can be done to unlock this hidden power in all of us.

Read More:

"When Brain Damage Unlocks The Genius Within"

"Brain damage has unleashed extraordinary talents in a small group of otherwise ordinary individuals. Will science find a way for everyone to tap their inner virtuoso?"

"Electrically Stimulating the Brain Can Boost Visual Memory 110 Percent"

"Literally donning an electrode-studded thinking cap can improve your memory by 110 percent, according to a new study by Australian researchers. "

"Eureka! When a Blow to the Head Creates a Sudden Genius"

"Brain injuries can sometimes reveal extraordinary talents in people. Now, savant syndrome is helping to create whole new fields of scientific discovery."

"Unlock Your Inner Rain Man by Electrically Zapping Your Brain"

"Imagine a creativity cap. A device that would free you, if only momentarily, from your mindsets, from your prejudices, from the mental blocks to creativity."

"Brain Scan of a Savant"

"Can regular people become savants?"

"As Jonathan points out, the technical definition of a savant is someone who possesses detailed knowledge in a particular field. If we go by that usage, the question of whether regular people can be savants seems to be an unequivocal yes."

"10 Most Fascinating Savants in the World"

"Can brain damage lead to extraordinary art?"

"Savant syndrome often appears in childhood, frequently as a result of autism but sometimes after an illness, stroke or seizure."

DNews is a show about the science of everyday life. We post two new videos every day of the week.

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[ECLE]

I hit my head and I got....a hospital bill!!

Science has failed me

[Partypoopering]

wait im gonna hit my head on a book.. i'll be back!

[walkonthedarxide]

OK,   I want you to take this baseball bat, and hit me hard in the head.  Got it?  Now, hold my beer, and let's do this!

[KneelBBacon]

What makes genius happen? Hard work and a lot of failures before you finally get it right.
_"A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new._ - Albert Einstein

[TheTerriblePuddle]

When I was told that the straight line didn't have to stop at the last dot, the 4 and 3 line answer hit me immediately.
You can say you should think outside the box (which the outer dots make)

[CamboInteractive]

My theory on why savants are good at maths, memory and/or art, yet bad at everything else is this: because one part (social etc) of the brain is damaged, the rest of the brain (maths, memory etc) is being used a lot more and therefore is stronger than what it would usually be. It's kind of like how blind people have really good hearing.

[khadidja]

I would love to remember everything I read or watch without having to re-read or re-watch for 10 or 20 times !

[FluffiFluffsson]

"What makes genius happen?" Not watching DNews

[goldbristow]

science teacher: "memorize all the elements this week"
me:"who do i look like? rainman?!"

[FountainMath]

Theory: (Nothing new, I'm sure many have thought about it)

Due to damage to certain regions of the brain, the body attempts to compensate by 'over-repairing' the sectors that aren't damage. This is the same for children BORN with sevant-ism: During the developmental stages in-utero the body sensed that some sectors were restricted of nutrition (perhaps due to loss of circulation/trauma from the mother or an array of other possible cases) and so overcompensated in other sectors.

The result of the over-compensation is seen through abilities such as memory, artistic expression, hearing, arithmetic calculations and the array of other amazing skills sevants demonstrate.

[RespectFalseIcons]

holy shit, i got that dot test correct on my first try, and now i feel like a fucking genius

[sicktoaster]

I didn't get it. I didn't get it because I thought I was supposed to draw the lines within the "box" suggested by the dots. I also thought it had to go straight through the middle of the dot, not skimming some of the dots like the lower picture. The left hemisphere inferred unstated rules and assumed they applied to this case when they didn't.

[butwhatmotive]

The 9 dot test is misleading. I'd think that you wouldn't be able to draw lines out of the box

[renhark]

I have an aunt that has one of the abilities described in this video. She can recall any day of the past and describe it in detail with the day of the week, etc. It's amazing! Definitely already knew she was a savant.

[wilsonpereira]

genius is mastering a creative skill that your passionate about and accepting no limitions...which is also the meaning of life finding your passion and running on a free & open mind through difficult trail & error to endless, boundless imagination

[Diraphe]

Ha! I figured out the 9 dot test within a minute. 

Its a trick question really; most people assume the line needs to terminate at a dot when its allowed to pass through.

[sadieandbean]

I am a autistic savant who is a child math genius.  I am as skilled in art as I am in math.  I love it.  But I have so many social and motor skill problems.  I think it's a good trade-off, though, because I love being me.

[namdang]

i got hit in the head when i was 4 and now i'm permanently dumb

[aaronholdaway]

I'm a savant In science, and some in math...yet this video just blown my mind, first time my mind had been blown. Congrats...I guess.

[Snailman]

photographic memory would be useful. I could just read entire school textbooks and ace every test. oh wait, I'm a nerd. I already have straight A's. still, I could learn stuff super fast.