Richard Powers

The FBI has long looked to Hollywood to rehabilitate its image in the face of real world blunders.

Richard Powers talks about his novel Orfeo, which tells the story of a composer's home microbiology lab, the latest experiment in his lifelong attempt to find music in surprising patterns, has aroused the suspicions of Homeland Security. He becomes fugitive after the police raid his home, and an Internet-fueled hysteria erupts, referring to him as the "Bioterrorist Bach."

In recent years the FBI has faced increasing criticism over a series of high profile blunders, and this week's discovery of the identities of the 1971 Media burglars reminded us of some of the agency's more sinister activities. But despite all the negative coverage, the media has always had a soft spot for the G-Men. Brooke looks back on a piece from 2001 in light of these recent revelations. 

For years Richard Powers has based his novels on challenging ideas and controversies from modern science. His latest is Generosity: An Enhancement -- Powers tells Kurt how he came to the story of an inexplicably happy young woman and the genetic engineer who wants her secret.

The author reads an excerpt from Generosity: An Enhancement.