Sand is the most abundant material on Earth. And, other than water and air, sand is the natural resource we consume more than any other -- more, even, than oil.

The pyramids are made of sand. Our roads and driveways and sidewalks are made of sand. Concrete buildings and their concrete foundations are made of sand. From computer chips to computer screens, window panes to lightbulbs, breast implants to the Hubble telescope, sand is basically the essential building block of civilization.

Humans are estimated to consume almost 50 billion tons of sand and gravel every year.

Oh, and, by the way: We're running out of it.

For a look at Sue McGrew's crazy impressive sand sculptures, check out her website.

GUESTS:
Vince Beiser - Author of The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization
Sarah Page Kyrcz - A reporter who covers Guilford and Madison for the Shoreline Times
Sue McGrew - Professional sand sculptor

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired August 9, 2018.

Sand is the most abundant material on Earth. And, other than water and air, sand is the natural resource we consume more than any other -- more, even, than oil.
The pyramids are made of sand. Our roads and driveways and sidewalks are made of sand. Concrete buildings and their concrete foundations are made of sand. From computer chips to computer screens, window panes to lightbulbs, breast implants to the Hubble telescope, sand is basically the essential building block of civilization.
Humans are estimated to consume almost 50 billion tons of sand and gravel every year.
Oh, and, by the way: We're running out of it.
For a look at Sue McGrew's crazy impressive sand sculptures,&nbsp;<a href="https://suemcgrew.com/gallery">check out her website</a>.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Vince Beiser&nbsp;- Author of&nbsp;The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization</li>
<li>Sarah Page Kyrcz&nbsp;- A reporter who covers Guilford and Madison for the&nbsp;Shoreline Times</li>
<li>Sue McGrew&nbsp;- Professional sand sculptor</li>
</ul>
Join the conversation on&nbsp;<a href="http://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/wnprcolin">Twitter</a>.
Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired August 9, 2018.

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/about">The Colin McEnroe Show</a> is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

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