Deadly Science
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? Deadly Science tells the story of iconic inventors, scientists, and explorers who paid an extreme price for their work. Using archive material, experts, CGI and historic reenactments, we bring them and their inventions back to life. How did these pioneers change industry, inquiry, and the world with their ideas, setting us on a new path? What ideas came out of their work and where have they taken us in the modern world?
- 2022-2025
- 2 seasons
- Documentary
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? Deadly Science tells the story of iconic inventors, scientists, and explorers who paid an extreme price for their work. Using archive material, experts, CGI and historic reenactments, we bring them and their inventions back to life. How did these pioneers change industry, inquiry, and the world with their ideas, setting us on a new path? What ideas came out of their work and where have they taken us in the modern world?
Season 2 Episode Guide
6 Episodes 2025
Episode 1
Brush with the Wild
Studying Earth's creatures can yield profound scientific insights, but meddling with the natural world can have lethal consequences. Snake enthusiast Kevin Budden risks everything in his pursuit of Australia's most venomous reptile.
Episode 2
Deadly Biology
Eighteenth-century obstetrician Ignaz Semmelweis plants the seeds for germ theory before a stunning downfall. Peruvian hero Daniel Carrión chases down a deadly disease using a dangerous experiment.
Episode 3
Dangerous Territories
Intrepid explorers have ventured into the world's most unforgiving landscapes in a relentless quest for knowledge. Biochemist Peng Jiamu braves the shifting sands of China's northern desert in search of its hidden secrets.
Episode 4
Perils of Invention
Every innovation started as an idea -- but not all ideas leave their inventors unscathed. To prove the possibility of heavier-than-air flight, Otto Lilienthal needs proof of concept.
Episode 5
Chemical Breakdown
Examining molecules, and chemicals, scientists take risks on great discoveries. Carl Wilhelm Scheele uncovers the stuff of life as he tinkers with deadly substances. Rosalind Franklin gives humanity the first image of the double-helix
Episode 6
Chasing Particles
Tinkering with the unseen can have dangerous consequences. As lightning flickers over St. Petersburg, a 19th-century physicist attempts to harness electricity.