In the six-programme TV series The Mind Traveller (BBC2, 9.30 pm on Thursdays
starting 31 October), neurological sleuth Oliver Sacks, of Awakenings fame, takes up a
different case study every week. If you missed the first programme, make sure
you tune in next Wednesday (BBC2, 9.30 pm) for Shane’s story. Shane has Tourette
syndrome, but he channels his involuntary movements into karate, rather than
damp them with drugs. He is convinced that Elvis was a fellow sufferer who used
pelvic thrusts to control his own tics. The ebullient Sacks is sometimes
overeager to force pat theories onto the disorders he is trying to unravel, but
luckily the series focuses more on his natural relationships with the people
with whom he works.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
The world's fastest spider tops 3.5 metres per second
2
Babies are born with the neural foundations for maths
3
Where, when and how to watch the 2026 solar eclipse
4
I’m the first person whose life was saved by CRISPR base editing
5
Our verdict on The Selfish Gene: An unpopular piece of popular science
6
We’ve uncovered a master gene that switches on human development
7
Humans sleep the least of all apes – is it the secret to our success?
8
Remote-controlled cockroach swarm can now breathe underwater
9
US government wants to have a useful quantum computer by 2028
10
The most detailed survey of the universe ever conducted starts now



