Episode
Modern Marvels: Wheat
Overview
It feeds the world. See how harvesting crews brave months on the road, cutting thousands of acres, tour a pasta plant to see how special kinds of wheat becomes everything from spaghetti to rigatoni. Watch as grain is mashed into a thirst-quenching brew and finally visit a company that transforms wheat into plastic-like products.
Details
- Series
- Modern Marvels
- Season
- Season 15
- Episode
- Episode 27
- Air date
- 2008-08-21
- Runtime
- 44 min
Episode context
Wheat is Episode 27 in Season 15 of Modern Marvels. It aired on 2008-08-21. The runtime is 44 min.
Previous / Next
Episode 26: Iron
How iron mined in Minnesota is made into steel; iron weapons revolutionize warfare; military metallurgists customize weapons and demonstrate their firepower; iron magnets.
Episode 28: Dangerous Roads
Dangerous roads throughout the world are examined, including Bolivia's "Death Road" and Highway 99 in California. Also: a visit to the Federal Highway Administration's safety-test laboratory.
More episodes from this season
Episode 25: Secrets of Oil
Rubber, plastic, nylon, aerosols, resins, solvents, & lubricants; none can exist without oil. If we stopped driving our cars tomorrow, America would still need 5 million barrels of oil a day.
Episode 29: Mold & Fungus
Learn about fungal organisms that live within our bodies, grow beneath our feet, float in the air and help create some of the foods and beverages we consume.
Episode 24: Coin Operated
Every 15 minutes, Americans insert over 3.5 million coins into vending machines. What are they buying? How do the machines work?
Episode 30: Soft Drinks
They account for nearly 30% of all beverages consumed in the U.S. and have been quenching thirst for over a century.
Episode 23: Batman Tech
He's caped, cowled and the coolest superhero of them all, because underneath that Batsuit, Batman only has his human strength and intellect to rely on. That and the greatest arsenal of crime fighting weaponry ever devised. But just where does comic book science fiction end and scientific fact begin? What technologies are behind the gadgets in Batman's utility belt? And just how plausible is the Batmobile? Get ready for a real life trip to the Batcave as we reveal the secrets behind Batman Tech.
Episode 31: Corrosion & Decompositon
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.
Episode 22: Underwear
From itchy woolen union suits to comfortable briefs and boxers learn how our undergarments have evolved over the last 100 years.
Episode 32: Bulls-eye
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.
Episode 21: Crashes
Explore collisions that shake our world from the astronomic to the subatomic. Indy car racing; motorcycles; skydiving; meteorites; and subatomic particles.
Episode 33: Halloween Tech
An inside look at the technology used for the Halloween traditions such as producing latex masks, professional monster makeup, carving jack-o-lanterns, making fake blood and a glimpse of a popular haunted house attraction.