Modern Marvels Episode Guide

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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.

Dangerous Roads

Original Airdate: 2008-08-28

Synopsis:

Traveling some of the world's most dangerous roads, including Bolivia's ``Death Road,'' California's fog-shrouded Highway 99, the road to Baghdad's airport and Colorado's Million Dollar Highway; highway safety; off-road drivers.

Wheat

Original Airdate: 2008-08-21

Synopsis:

How wheat feeds the world; wheat becomes everything from bread to beer; a custom harvester follows ripening wheat fields from Texas to North Dakota; exporting wheat; grinding grain into flour; Widmer Brothers Brewery; Wheatware.

Iron

Original Airdate: 2008-08-14

Synopsis:

How iron mined in Minnesota is made into steel; iron weapons revolutionize warfare; military metallurgists customize weapons and demonstrate their firepower; iron magnets.

Secrets of Oil

Original Airdate: 2008-07-31

Synopsis:

The secrets of oil and the many products it has spawned; oil refinery in California; chemical weapons suits; making asphalt; blending jet fuel; Vaseline.

Coin Operated

Original Airdate: 2008-07-24

Synopsis:

Americans insert more than 3.5 million coins into vending machines every 15 minutes; how vending machines work; visiting a factory that produces high-tech vending machines; giant gumball machine.

Batman Tech

Original Airdate: 2008-07-21

Synopsis:

Batman dazzles readers with an amazing array of gadgets since his DC Comics debut in 1939; going inside the Batcave, experts compare the Dark Knight's gadgets to actual technology.

Underwear

Original Airdate: 2008-07-17

Synopsis:

Brief history of undergarments; the evolution from itchy woolen union suits to comfortable briefs and boxers; socks with special threads to prevent odor; fire retardant underwear; the bra industry.

Crashes

Original Airdate: 2008-07-10

Synopsis:

World-shaking crashes; efforts to make auto racing safer; the latest in motorcycle crash survival equipment; a sky diver survives falling 11,000 feet without a parachute; NASA's asteroid tracking team; colliding subatomic particles.

Bathroom Tech II

Original Airdate: 2008-06-30

Synopsis:

Bathroom technology; Kohler makes a digitally controlled shower complete with steam, music and LED chromatherapy; manufacturing sinks; ``uncloggable'' toilet; the engineering behind low-flow showers and toilets.

Ice Cream

Original Airdate: 2008-06-23

Synopsis:

The history of ice cream ranging from the gelato of Italy and a 19th-century French process to today's frozen desserts; visiting Dreyer's, TCBY and Joy Cone Co. factories; Ben & Jerry's flavor innovations.