JEFFREY BROWN:

And finally tonight: producing the building blocks of the future.

New York Times technology reporter David Pogue has teamed up with NOVA for a new series that will look at innovative technologies and materials.

In tonight's premiere, he focuses on "Making Stuff: Stronger."

Here's an excerpt.

DAVID POGUE, personal technology correspondent, The New York Times: Spider silk has been shown to have more tensile strength than steel and Kevlar. It can stretch to 140 percent of its length without breaking and remains flexible even in extreme cold.

It's also so lightweight that a mere pound of the stuff could form a single strand long enough to stretch around the equator. But could we ever harvest enough to put it to use?

I paid a visit to the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where I met Nicholas Godley.

This is it. This is your baby?

NICHOLAS GODLEY, fashion designer: This is the big one.