Modern Marvels

Soft Drinks

Original Airdate: 2008-12-31

Synopsis:

The history of soft drinks; the production process at Dr. Pepper, the world's third-largest soft-drink supplier; the Gatorade sports drink; energy drinks; the roots of ginger ale and root beer.

Night

Original Airdate: 2008-12-26

Synopsis:

Some activities only occur when the world is dark; fishermen use lights to lure squid to their nets; finding night crawlers in Toronto; military night vision gear; police helicopter's Spectrolab spotlight; baseball stadium.

Measure It

Original Airdate: 2008-12-23

Synopsis:

How distance, time, speed, weight and temperature are measured; weighing a whale; how a speedometer works; the National Institute of Standards and Technology; measuring tapes made by Stanley Tools.

Super Human

Original Airdate: 2008-12-22

Synopsis:

Whether humans have the ability to possess superpowers; a man can strap on an exoskeleton and lift hundreds of pounds with little effort; Mr. Cyborg can control machines with his thoughts; flying like Superman.

Retro Tech

Original Airdate: 2008-12-19

Synopsis:

The evolution of technology; how things now considered obsolete worked such as the typewriter, VCR, analog TV, vinyl record, film camera and brick-sized mobile phone, as well as products that superseded them.

Car Wash

Original Airdate: 2008-12-08

Synopsis:

Americans visit car washes 2 million times per day at an annual cost of $25 billion; how car washes are built to clean, ranging from tunnel systems to in-bay automatics; visiting the biggest car wash facility in the United States.

Salt

Original Airdate: 2008-12-01

Synopsis:

Salt is a versatile substance with 14,000 known uses; visiting a salt mine under Lake Erie; an evaporation facility harvests ocean salt near San Francisco; a Florida restaurant offers 40 varieties of salt.

The Turkey

Original Airdate: 2008-11-24

Synopsis:

The turkey is the centerpiece of Thanksgiving dinners and one of the dumbest birds in the animal kingdom, but it has managed to survive since the dinosaurs; Butterball factory; turkey hunting; dining on turkey testicles and eggs.

The Horse

Original Airdate: 2008-11-19

Synopsis:

A celebration of the horse, the animal that helped mankind change the world; the thoroughbred racing industry in Kentucky; how a Minnesota logging company uses real horsepower; a Colorado program pairs horses and prison inmates.

Halloween Tech

Original Airdate: 2008-10-27

Synopsis:

The celebration of Halloween has become a $6 billion economic powerhouse; the annual Halloween Haunt at Knott's Berry Farm; the production of monster makeup, masks and costumes; carving pumpkins; making fake blood; haunted house.

Bulls-Eye

Original Airdate: 2008-10-20

Synopsis:

Examining how frequently experts in various disciplines can hit their targets, including archers, sharpshooters and even a billiards player; the ancient world's ballista and trebuchet weapons; knife thrower; Cirque du Soleil's daring artists.

Corrosion & Decomposition

Original Airdate: 2008-10-13

Synopsis:

America's aging infrastructure is in danger of collapse due to corrosion, according to engineers; technology for battling corrosion; harnessing the destructive power of decomposition.

Lead

Original Airdate: 2008-10-09

Synopsis:

Mankind makes use of lead, a versatile but toxic metal, for 6,000 years; mining; car battery factory; specialists remove harmful lead objects from homes and businesses; lead makes crystal sparkle.

Mold & Fungus

Original Airdate: 2008-09-18

Synopsis:

Learning about various fungal organisms that live in the human body, grow from the ground, float in the air, and help create some foods and beverages; professional remediators battle millions of green invaders in a moldy home.