Man-Made

From soup to beer, the aluminum can is a trophy of human ingenuity and is one of the most ubiquitous Man-Made products on the planet. Across the globe, the can is mass produced on a mind-boggling scale: more than 220 billion cans a year, including 600 million a day and 400,000 every minute. It has become a necessity, a technology, an icon, a cultural artifact and even an object of desire. NGC takes you on a journey through the history of this everyday item.

Originally considered a novelty item, The Flashlight has quickly become one of the world's most trusted tools. Each American owns an average of 3 or 4 flashlights, but providing light is not their only function. Join the National Geographic Channel to trace the flashlight's history and take a look at its unexpected role in our lives. From a military flashlight that can blind an enemy to crime-fighting flashlights used to find hidden clues, innovators continue to expand the flashlight's use.

In the South Pole, temperatures can drop to more than 100 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Now, witness as engineers go up against staggering odds to build a 160,000-square-foot, high-tech science facility in this frozen wasteland. Through exclusive access granted by the National Science Foundation, NGC"s cameras give viewers a glimpse of the intense danger & physical challenges of working in one of most inhospitable places on the planet.

Chronicling the two-year construction of the Queen Mary 2, which was the world's longest, tallest and widest passenger ocean liner when it was launched in 2003.

A visit across the country for a look at high tech technology concerning highway construction, including the machinery and engineering used to keep traffic moving.

An examination of the Los Angeles sophisticated sewer system, one of the world's largest.

A hotel is build mainly out of snow and ice in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, about 125 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

An exploration of what goes into the brewing of beer in major breweries, including a look at mass producing.

Experience the mighty mega shredder. The world's largest recycling machine takes the floor space of an entire factory. It will reduce the equivalent of 450 cars an hour to an unrecognizable pulp. And that's just one part of the 9 million tons of scrap metal spit from the jaws of the world's biggest metal shredder every year. Hauling away the fragments of what were once refrigerators and other household goods demands the services of a gargantuan gantry crane. In only 72 hours that crane will fill a 30,000 ton cargo ship that in turn will lug the precious scraps onto the world metal recycling market.

A profile of real life spies and security experts who work in everything from hostage rescues to the creation of high tech gadgets.

Head to the California Academy of Sciences in San Fransisco to investigate their use of sustainable technology which makes it one of the world's largest green public facilities.

A look at the science and engineering involved in the Bahrain World Trade Center, and its trio of 29-meter wind turbines which creates around 11-15% of the buildings energy demands.