The Best Episodes of Modern Marvels Season 15

#1 Fan Favorite
8.6/10(20 votes)
#1 - Salt
S15:E3612/1/2008
It's the only rock we eat, and we need it to live. History has shown that those who have salt rule the world--and today, this versatile substance has 14,000 known uses.
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8.5/10(53 votes)
#2 - Mad Electricity
S15:E135/14/2008
Nikola Tesla's bizarre vision of the future brought him failure, but his genius electrified the world.
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8.4/10(25 votes)
#3 - The Turkey
S15:E3511/24/2008
The turkey is the centerpiece of Thanksgiving dinners and one of the dumbest birds in the animal kingdom, but it has managed to survive since the dinosaurs; Butterball factory; turkey hunting; dining on turkey testicles and eggs.
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8.3/10(23 votes)
#4 - Locomotives
S15:E114/21/2008
Race through the French countryside at nearly 300 MPH on 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. Descend 700 feet below the earth's surface where mining locomotives move miners through a maze of tunnels. Then, it's a "jiffy lube" for locomotives inside America's largest maintenance shop. Finally, glide into the future with a locomotive that levitates on a cushion of air.
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8.1/10(18 votes)
#5 - Bread
S15:E93/24/2008
It's the basic source of nourishment for half the world. Bake it, roast it, slice it, or toast it, it's a wonder with three simple ingredients.
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8.0/10(26 votes)
#6 - Carbon
S15:E21/14/2008
Carbon is the chemical basis of all known life and yet this simple element is also the foundation of modern technology. Carbon burns hotter, cuts deeper, insulates more thoroughly and absorbs more fully than any other material. See why carbon is the key both in heavy-duty industries, as well as in tools like the graphite pencil, the charcoal water filter, and the diamond saw blade.
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The 20 BEST Episodes of Modern Marvels

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8.0/10(19 votes)
#7 - World's Strongest III
S15:E53/6/2008
Witness some mind-blowing feats of strength starting with the world's most powerful elevators. Discover the world's strongest tire, the strongest mountain bike, the world's strongest land transport vehicle that carries the Space Shuttle & strongest home blender.
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8.0/10(26 votes)
#8 - Corpse Tech
S15:E186/20/2008
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. Discover how coroners and forensic anthropologists use a body to both save lives and catch killers. Visit the University of Tennessee's famed "Body Farm," a crematorium, and one of the largest tissue banks in the United States.
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8.0/10(13 votes)
#9 - Mold & Fungus
S15:E299/18/2008
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.
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8.0/10(20 votes)
#10 - Mega Meals
S15:E432/17/2009
Preparing meals for large groups is examined. Included: a meal at a U.S. Naval base in Bangor, Wash.; aboard a nuclear submarine; for crowds at a Philadelphia Eagles game; and the after party of the American Music Awards. Also: airline meals in New York City.
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7.9/10(22 votes)
#11 - Secrets of Oil
S15:E257/31/2008
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.
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7.9/10(14 votes)
#12 - Iron
S15:E268/18/2008
How iron mined in Minnesota is made into steel; iron weapons revolutionize warfare; military metallurgists customize weapons and demonstrate their firepower; iron magnets.
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7.8/10(20 votes)
#13 - Soft Drinks
S15:E309/29/2008
They account for nearly 30% of all beverages consumed in the U.S. and have been quenching thirst for over a century.
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7.8/10(17 votes)
#14 - Super Human
S15:E3912/22/2008
Whether humans have the ability to possess superpowers; a man can strap on an exoskeleton and lift hundreds of pounds with little effort; Mr. Cyborg can control machines with his thoughts; flying like Superman.
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7.7/10(31 votes)
#15 - 90s Tech
S15:E32/7/2008
The dot.com decade opened up the information superhighway and for the first time, people could shop, search, and surf online with the click of a mouse. Take a trip to the end of the 20th century and the beginning of today technologies.
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7.7/10(21 votes)
#16 - Superhighways
S15:E42/28/2008
Millions of drivers travel the world's superhighways each year. See a multi-billion dollar expansion project in Houston where a stretch of superhighway is being widened to 20 lanes & Take a ride atop the High-Five, a 12-story, five-level interchange that's become the latest Dallas tourist attraction. Then it's off to China's 28,000-mile National Trunk Highway System.
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7.6/10(21 votes)
#17 - Milk
S15:E11/7/2008
Got milk? Billions of pounds of milk are consumed worldwide on a daily basis. Milk is the basis for its own food group, and has been around since the dawn of mammals. Visit a farm with a milking parlor that looks more like a cow merry-go-round. Learn what pasteurization is really all about, and even milk a yak. Find out what those active cultures in yogurt are and discover if milk truly makes the body good. Wait until you discover just how many types of cows there truly are.
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7.5/10(26 votes)
#18 - Alaskan Fishing
S15:E83/19/2008
Takes a look inside the amazing ultra-modern world of high stakes commercial fishing where a wrong decision on the captain's part can cost not just the season's catch, but also the lives of his crew.
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7.5/10(15 votes)
#19 - Most Dangerous
S15:E156/6/2008
Discover that the deadliest snakes, sports and weather events are closer and more treacherous than you think.
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7.5/10(20 votes)
#20 - Batman Tech
S15:E237/21/2008
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.
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7.5/10(21 votes)
#21 - Fry It
S15:E422/10/2009
Fairgrounds fried classics such as funnel cakes and churros; frog legs; Twinkies and Coke; forging a cast iron frying pan; Kentucky's World Chicken Festival.
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7.4/10(17 votes)
#22 - Super Hot
S15:E166/9/2008
Explore the world of extreme temperatures.
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7.4/10(23 votes)
#23 - Coin Operated
S15:E247/24/2008
Every 15 minutes, Americans insert over 3.5 million coins into vending machines. What are they buying? How do the machines work?
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7.4/10(17 votes)
#24 - Corrosion & Decompositon
S15:E3110/13/2008
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.
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7.4/10(23 votes)
#25 - Bulls-eye
S15:E3210/20/2008
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.
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