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Ingenious

Find out what you’re made of – one gene at a time.

Take a deep dive into what you’re made of. Dr Kat Arney tells the unexpected story of a single bit of human DNA: the ginger gene, the milkshake gene, the breast cancer gene, and the cyclops gene.

People have never been so well informed about their DNA, with tens of millions of home genetic testing kits sold. But behind each of your 20,000 genes is a fascinating story - one that’s being added to every day, as genetics remains on the cutting edge of innovation.

Tapping into the current preoccupations with identity, health, and what connects us to each other, “Gene by Gene” is an idea so simple it’s just amazing it hasn’t been done before. Genetics and gene research gets plenty of coverage in the media, but this is the first time a major broadcaster has given a proper moment in the spotlight to some of the most interesting chemical threads that make up the fabric of life.

Combining history, archive, anthropology, comedy - and of course, lots of lovely science - we finally give these cryptically named but crucial substances the attention they deserve.