It's hot, dry, deadly, and hard to ignore with close to 40% of Earth
classified as desert. But in this scorching hour, the desert turns from
barren wasteland into an environment rich with hope. In the Middle East,
desalination of seawater now fills water needs. Americans have created
booming desert communities like Las Vegas, where the Hoover Dam produces
hydroelectric power and manmade Lake Mead supplies water. Native
Americans farmed the desert on a small scale, but 20th-century
technology begot greater opportunity. Once desolate areas of California
and Mexico now grow agriculture due to irrigation, and the desert's
abundant sunshine allows solar-energy and wind-power production. And in
the future, desert technology may enable colonization of planets like
Mars. We also take a look at how refrigeration and air conditioning have
made life in desert communities tolerable, and examine the latest in
survival gear and equipment.