Chris Schmidt

Where do nature’s building blocks, called the elements, come from? They’re the hidden ingredients of everything in our world, from the carbon in our bodies to the metals in our smartphones. Watch as David Pogue unlocks their secrets.

Augmenting human intelligence is a lot tougher than it looks, but scientists are edging closer with machines like “Watson,” an IBM computing system that is gearing up to compete on the game show JEOPARDY!

What can nature teach us about building smarter materials? Can we create materials that sense and respond? “When describing ‘smart materials,’ one analogy scientists give is the evolution from the first Terminator robot, a machine made of metal and circuitry, to the shape-shifting ‘liquid guy’ in Terminator 2,” said Making Stuff producer Chris Schmidt. Smarter looks into the growing number of materials that almost seem alive–able to react, change and even learn. An Army tanker truck that heals its own bullet wounds. An airplane wing that changes shape as it flies. For inspirations and ideas, scientists are turning to nature and biology and producing some innovative new developments in materials science. Knowledge and inspiration drawn from nature are showing scientists new ways to give our materials amazing new abilities. By understanding how geckos climb even smooth walls, scientists have created a gecko adhesive that let’s robots do the same. Studying the properties of skin has led to the development of self-healing protective foam. And Pogue literally goes swimming with sharks to understand a different kind of skin that is intriguing scientists. Scientists are modeling a material after sharkskin to develop an antibacterial film that, when sprayed in hospitals, could eliminate MRSA and other anti-biotic resistant bacteria. Pogue concludes “Smarter” with a visit to a scientist who has created a material that may make Harry potter’s invisibility cloak a reality!

What is the strongest material in the world? Is it iron? Are Kevlar and carbon nanotubes the way of the future, or will the powerful properties discovered in natural spider silk one day replace steel? NOVA begins the ambitious four-hour program with a quest for the world’s strongest stuff. Host David Pogue helps viewers understand what defines strength, examining everything from mollusks to a toucan’s beak and testing the world’s strongest materials. Pogue travels from the deck of a U.S. naval aircraft carrier to a demolition derby to the country’s top research labs to check in with the experts who are re-engineering what nature has given us to create the next generation of strong “stuff.”