Modern Marvels

Some activities only occur when the world is dark. We stay up late off the coast of California to hunt some slippery and slimy nocturnal creatures, and explore the latest in night vision gear.

We'll look at the five most common areas of measurement in our everyday lives-distance, time, speed, weight and temperature-and find out how they're measured in the extreme.

Do normal humans actually possess the ability to have super powers? Discover incredible feats of human-and artificial-strength and ingenuity around the world.

Americans hit the car wash 2 million times a day-at a cost of $25 billion dollars a year. From tunnel systems to in-bay automatics, we'll go beyond the suds to see how car washes are built to clean.

It's the only rock we eat, and we need it to live. Travel around the world to see how salt is harvested-and put to some of its 14,000 known uses.

It's the centerpiece of Thanksgiving dinner tables and one of the most famous birds in North America. From pets to presidential pardons, look at the feisty fowl that's the star of our holiday dinners.

Celebrate the animal that helped man change the world--horses. Explore the thoroughbred racing industry in Lexington, Kentucky. A Colorado prison proves that horses can change inmates for the better.

Halloween has become a six billion dollar industry. Get an up-close look at extreme jack-o-lanterns, find out how hundreds of gallons of fake blood are manufactured and visit a massive haunted house.

Discover what it means to be armed and accurate. Find out how the Phoenix Lander will navigate to its target and watch as Cirque de Soleil's artists use targets for their breathtaking feats.

Our aging infrastructure is falling apart, and the restoration process is costing billions. See how scientists are finding ways to help control decay and turn decomposition into profit.

A versatile yet toxic metal, lead has served mankind for 6,000 years. Explore the vast mines where heavy machinery extracts and refines lead and learn how it's used in homes and businesses today.

From magic mushrooms to athlete's foot to penicillin, fungi are everywhere. Learn about fungal organisms that live within our bodies, grow beneath us and help create some of the things we consume.

From Bolivia's 'Death Road,' to California's fog-shrouded Highway 99, find the danger that waits behind every blind curve. Includes a visit to the Federal Highway Administration's test laboratory.

Visit the mines of Minnesota and discover how iron ore is extracted and made into steel. Learn how military-metallurgists create the latest weapons and study the biggest iron magnet of all: the earth!

Rubber, plastic, nylon, aerosols, resins, solvents, and lubricant--none can exist without oil. Featuring products derived from crude oil including plastic, lubricating oil, food grade oil & cosmetics.

Every 15 minutes, Americans insert over 3.5 million coins into vending machines. We'll visit the factories where these coin-op machines are made.

From itchy woolen union suits to comfortable briefs and boxers, learn how our undergarments have evolved over the last 100 years.

Explore collisions that shake our world from the astronomic to the subatomic. Discover breakthroughs that could make professional auto racing safer and examine two-wheeled accidents in detail.

Check out a new digitally controlled uber-shower, check out a supposedly uncloggable toilet and learn all about the low-flow alternatives for bathroom tech.

From the gelato of Italy, to the French Pot process of the 1800s, to the numerous assortments of frozen delights being served up today, get the scoop on this delicious dessert.

Do you ever wonder what happens to your body after you die? You might be surprised to discover that the human body is host to a multitude of hidden secrets-even after death.

Pyroman the life-size mannequin is exposed to more than 1,000 degrees F. Steel workers suit up to beat refinery heat. A friction lab tests aircraft and race car brakes.

Discover that the deadliest snakes, sports and weather events are closer and more treacherous than you may think.

Watch as lumberjacks chop through logs in a matter of seconds. Visit one of the nation's largest axe manufacturers and learn why the Native American tomahawk is making a comeback.