Season 1

1. Corn

2008-11-13

Let’s get right to the point: Corn is much more than a backyard barbecue side dish. In fact, there are more than 3,500 different uses for corn products: Chewing gum, peanut butter, vitamins, paint, antibiotics and ethanol fuel are just few examples.

2. Turkey

2008-11-20

According to the University of Illinois Extension, 97 percent of Americans eat turkey at Thanksgiving, and 87 percent of people in the U.K. eat turkey at Christmas. Roasting up a big bird is a treat -- it's probably fair to say that many of these noshers look forward to their meaty meals long before the holidays.

3. Timber

2008-12-04

Log cabins may be a historical footnote and fossil fuels may reign supreme, but forests remain critical natural resources. What does the future hold for Paul Bunyan's favorite industry?

4. Water

2008-12-11

You could call water a liquid paradox.

5. Beer

2008-12-18

Barley, water, hops and yeast might not sound like a recipe for success, but to the beer connoisseur, the fine balance of those four ingredients is the stuff of legend.

6. Aluminum

2009-01-08

If you need a handy metal, you can't get much better than aluminum.

7. Wheat

2009-01-15

Nutritional and versatile, wheat isn't just for food anymore. Explore its surprising uses in everything from brewing beverages to building houses.

8. Coffee

2009-01-22

From Columbia to coffeehouses we talk to farmers, baristas, and everyone in between about the incredible beverage that fuels the World.

9. Salt

2009-01-29

We delve into the science of salt, the prehistoric, life-sustaining mineral that has 14,000 known uses from seasoning food to so much more.

10. Rubber

2009-02-12

Durable, flexible, waterproof, and of course, bouncy, rubber is versatile enough for things as different as basketballs and Hollywood special effects.

11. Lead

2009-02-19

Lead has gone from a dangerous to indispensable product that is evolving past its former stigma to become an integral part of our daily lives.

12. Steel

2009-03-21

Examining steel from its influence in Industrial Age innovations to its role in building bridges and battleships.