Modern Marvels

Learn how to grow, harvest and mill over 140,000 types of rice. Go inside the factories that make Rice Krispie Treats and Rice Cakes, and discover how rice even brews into alcohol, like sake and beer.

Get behind the wheel of some of the largest, fastest, most powerful machines on the planet. To take control, you'll need more than just a learner's permit--you'll need training, experience and guts!

Visit the world's biggest and oldest flag manufacturer; go inside the last athletic shoe factories in the US; and meet a toy company that believes it's imperative to keep their work here at home.

Just below the surface, take a revealing look at the 'America' hidden from public view, from secret military installations and experimental farms to tunnel networks and neutron lasers.

Enter the amazing and ingenious ultra-sturdy shelters, machines, containers, materials and packaging designed to deny the ruination of society.

They're man's best friend: fearless, faithful, determined and swift. From natural instincts to complex training, see what makes dogs a perfectly engineered marvel.

We explore the tens of millions of soda and snack machines, parking meters, payphones, video games and other coin-operated technology.

Count down the top ten technological innovations of the last generation. Today, we can't live without them, yet only a few decades ago these didn't even exist!

Visit the U.S. Library of Congress, where over 600 miles of shelves hold 130 million items, including priceless treasures--from Washington's handwritten diaries to Galileo's first images of the moon.

Visit a company making blast and bulletproof doors; learn about the surprisingly complex process involved to make home and commercial doors, entries and exits, such as revolving doors and turnstiles.

Watch as drivers crash trucks to find their breaking points; fire rounds at bulletproof glass until it breaks; lithium-ion batteries catch fire & explode; find the breaking points of steel & concrete.

We'll size up the biggest of machines, and their smallest counterparts. First we go to France to find out what goes into assembling the world's largest jetliner, the Airbus A380.

The largest, strongest and most unique ships: an oceanography research vessel that flips 90 degrees; biggest cruise ships; U.S. Navy's newest and most advanced transport ship; fastest car ferry.

Fly with the deadliest helicopter in the world, watch the Coast Guard train for water rescues, learn how million-dollar Bell 'copters are customized and even discover how to build your own.

Soft drinks account for nearly 30% of all beverages consumed in the U.S., and have been quenching our thirst for over a century. Learn all about the science behind these refreshments.

From Tabasco sauce, to a chili cook-off, to the leading spice manufacturer in the world, it's time to get hot and spicy with this look at the history and flavors of all things tongue-burning.

What does it take to turn twenty tons of steel into top-notch vehicles in less than a day? How does a pile of lumber become a million dollar home in a mere week?

From hot rods and Harley Davidsons to stainless steel flatware and the iconic, shimmering art deco dome of the Chrysler Building, find out how chrome makes the world sparkle.

From cutting-edge competition venues to the latest sports science training, winter sports use more technology than ever. This episode takes you behind the scenes of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

It's the most popular fish in the American diet. Find out how tuna gets from the ocean to the school lunch box and high-end sushi bar.

Each year in the U.S., 280 million hens lay 80 billion eggs, one of the world's most affordable sources of protein. We'll chart the journey of the egg from henhouse to breakfast table and beyond.

You know the old saying "dull as dirt"...wrong! In Las Vegas we'll see how thousands of tons of dirt transform a stadium into a Supercross course.

It can trap energy on the ocean floor and confounds scientists still trying to solve why it's so slippery. Learn all about the history, science and even artistry of ice.