Jack Youngelson

THE GENE: AN INTIMATE HISTORY traces the evolution of genetics as researchers race to identify treatments for genetic diseases, such as cancer and sickle cell anemia, and to perfect tools for rewriting DNA.

Celebrated photographer Tierney Gearon's work has been labeled manipulative, disturbing and even perverse. A former model and dancer, Gearon came to notorious fame in 2001 when photos of her own naked and masked children in the "I Am a Camera" show at London's Saatchi Gallery had authorities threatening child pornography charges. The mixture of art and family can almost be too close for comfort, but like much of Gearon's photographs there is a subversive...

Presented and written by Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., this series journeys deep into the ancestry of a group of remarkable individuals and provides new understanding of personal identity and American history.