Modern Marvels

- Season 16

(2008)

On Modern Marvels: Milk, we'll visit a farm with a milking parlor for 80 cows that looks more like a bovine merry-go-round. At the Driftwood Dairy processing plant, we'll find out what's so hot about pasteurization.

All life forms, including us, are built upon atoms of carbon. But modern technology is also built on a foundation of carbon. Modern Marvels: Carbon explores how such a simple element burns hotter, cuts deeper, dies harder, insulates more thoroughly, and absorbs more fully than any other material. From diamonds to coal, carbon fiber race cars to graphite pencils, you'll see why carbon is not just the stuff of life, but the key to modern technology. You'll also learn why "activated carbon" is the material of choice for absorbing everything from toxic heavy metals in ...

It was the dot com decade that opened up the information superhighway. "Modern Marvels: 90s Tech" takes you way back to the end of the 20th century and the beginning of today's trendy technologies. From DVDs to TIVO to GPS, see how the digital gadgets we can't live without all started in the 90s. Hear the Amazon story from its very own founder, Jeff Bezos, and see how millions of cyber goods are packaged and shipped at an 800,000 square-foot Amazon distribution center. At Google, learn the science of the world's most popular search engine. And was Furby really a ...

On this episode of Modern Marvels we'll construct, and deconstruct, the roundabout ribbons that comprise the world's Superhighways. Our road trip starts in Houston, Texas where a multi-billion dollar expansion project is widening a stretch of superhighway to a spacious 20 lanes. Then we're off to China's 28,000-mile National Trunk Highway System.

Witness some mind-blowing feats of strength starting with the world's most powerful elevators--one lifts fighter jets, the other lifts a giant stage filled with acrobats. Discover the world's strongest tire and the monster mine machine it rolls with. Take a 35-foot drop on the world's strongest mountain bike. See the world's strongest land transport vehicle that carries the Space Shuttle. Finally mix some drinks or chop a telephone into dust with the biggest and strongest home blender you've ever seen.

Modern arsenals have become much more sophisticated than bullets and bombs. Discover microwave-like rays that make the enemy flee when they feel the heat and laser weapons, mounted on trucks and airplanes that can blow missiles out of the sky.

A fisher/factory ship embarks on a trip in the Bering Sea to catch thousands of tons of Alaskan Pollock to quench the world's hunger for seafood.

The history and production of whiskey and its many varieties on both sides of the Atlantic is profiled.

It's the basic source of nourishment for half the world--bread. Bake it, roast it, slice it, toast it--it's a wonder that three simple ingredients, flour, water and salt, can be transformed into so many different shapes and tastes. From baguettes to pita, from corn bread to flour tortillas, every culture finds a way to make it and bake it.

Explore the hottest trends in gadgets, how they've evolved and where they're going. See how the latest miniaturized, mobile gadgetry can fit all the technology that once filled an entire office into a single briefcase. Visit Brookstone, the ultimate gadget store. We'll meet a gadget collector who's turned his home into a gadget museum. And we'll visit basement inventors who have developed everything from an iron you slip over your hand to smart appliances that talk back. Revisit some of the original gadgets like the corkscrew and zipper and see how some gadgets evolve...

Zip through the French countryside at nearly 300 MPH on the TGV--the fastest locomotive in the world. Ride on the little engines that could as they guide giant ships through the Panama Canal. Watch two locomotives crash head-on as the federal government monitors safety.

Rats! They're some of the most dangerous, destructive and useful animals on Earth. The resilient rat has terrified humankind for centuries, but is the bad rap justified? In this episode of Modern Marvels, we'll take the viewer on a rollercoaster ride through our love-hate relationship with the rat. We'll ride along with a Terminix exterminator to get face to face with the creepy creature in a near rat infestation and see the great lengths we take to get rid of the pesky pest. And we'll tour the Hacco Inc. rodenticide plant to see just how they concoct tasty poisons. ...

The technological legacy of inventor and visionary Nikola Tesla, often referred to as "the father of the 20th century".

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A look at some of the hottest temperatures known to man in various applications such as testing fire retardant clothing, steel smelting, and scientific applications such as volcanology are profiled. Ambient heat, plasma, and the effects of burns on skin and sweat are also discussed.

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The cool and sweet history of ice cream, frozen yogurt, and cones. Also featured a tour of the Dreyer's factory, and how new Ben and Jerry's favors are created.

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Tips for female entrepreneurs.

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A look at other products derived from crude oil including plastics, lubricating oils, food grade oils, and cosmetics.

Iron is the most abundant element on earth. Learn how it's mined and how it's used in our everyday lives.

The ancient beginnings of wheat through the modern harvesting methods used to make bread and pasta among its many uses. Also featured is the science behind making wheat resistant to disease.

A look of the most dangerous roads in the world, the vehicles that drive on them and the technology being used in an attempt to improve safety.

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See what it takes to make the perfect shot: a bulls-eye. Expert marksmen can shoot from their target from over a mile away while a billiard player can take the perfect shot to win the game. Also see the modern take on ancient weapons like the trebuchet and the cannon.

Go behind-the-scenes at Knott's Berry Farm's 35th annual Halloween Haunt. Learn how to apply monster make-up and watch latex masks being made. See the most extreme jack-o-lanterns and visit a haunted house with an annual attendance of over 50,000.

The history of horses and their modern uses as thoroughbreds, draft horses, and calvary units.

The history and the legend of the turkey is profiled and it goes beyond just your Thanksgiving Day dinner.

Salt isn't just for your dinner table. Learn the many ways salt is mined and its many uses.

Whether you take your car to the local car wash or you do it yourself in your driveway, all cars need to be cleaned. This episode of Modern Marvels goes behind the scenes at one of the largest car washes in the country and shows a master car detailed at work. Also included are tips on washing your car at home.

The story behind some of yesteryear's cutting edge technology. Featured are old cathode ray TV sets, vinyl records, typewriters, newspapers, and instant pictures among others.

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A look at the measurement devices we encounter daily including measuring tapes, clocks (including atomic clocks and the history of clocks), swimming touch pads, speedometers, weight scales, and thermometers. Also includes a look at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

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Welcome to the world of sizzling hot oil. First, it's a trip to the fair to discover the secrets behind fried classics such as funnel cakes and churros. And how about some deep fried treats such as frogs legs, and Twinkies and Coke?

The history, production process, and use of various kinds of soft drinks are explored, including Dr. Pepper, natural sodas, Gatorade, energy drinks, ginger ale, root beer, Slurpees, soda fountain drinks, and drinks with unusual flavors.