It’s been a couple of days since the National Geographic Channel announced it would be airing a brain surgery live, but the channel is wasting no time putting together footage for the special. We’ve got the exclusive look at the Brain Surgery Live with Mental Floss trailer, below.
The brain surgery is going to happen live, so this video doesn’t feature any super graphic moments (unlike the special, which is sure to be chock full of ‘em). It does give us a glimpse at the setup for the hospital room and the cameras that will be used to follow the patient as a brain surgery is accomplished while the patient is fully awake. The wide awake part is important, as it helps the doctors to ascertain whether or not they have pinpointed the correct spot in the brain, but it also means the patient will be able to talk throughout the experience. We’ve known already that the surgery will follow an elective procedure called DBS (deep brain stimulation) surgery and we’ll get an intense first look at what a brain operation looks like via handheld and robotic cameras.
Maybe it’s just the uplifting music in the trailer that’s getting to me, but it’s all pretty inspiring.
There are channels and channels devoted to scripted programming, and TV is frequently simply there to entertain rather than to inform, but Nat Geo is going out on a limb and putting together a program that should be super informative for viewers, as well as just plain fascinating. In fact, it’s the first time a brain surgery has aired live on television, and Nat Geo is really pushing the idea that “the human brain” is the star of the project. It’ll be science live and at work right in front of our faces! Did I mention I’m excited?
Bryant Gumbel is hosting the two hour special and neurosurgeons Jonathan Miller, Dr. Benjamin Walter, and Dr. Jennifer Sweet from the University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland will be doing all of the heavy lifting. Unfortunately, while we’ve got the first look at the trailer, there are still a few weeks before Brain Surgery Live actually hits the network. The special is set to air over at Nat Geo on Sunday, October 25 at 9 p.m. ET and is set to last for two hours.
In addition, while you wait, here’s what else is coming up on TV this fall.
