The Ground Below

Shane explores the history and science of cotton. A prehistoric coastline from North Carolina to Texas laid the foundation for a crop that re-shaped our history, our culture, and even our DNA.

Meet Craig McClain, the selfie-master turned biological oceanographer. While he studies tiny creatures in the ocean, he's also unraveling the secrets hidden within the rock formations. Join us as we delve into the past to understand the incredible ripple effect behind each layer of time.

Over an ice cream with Historian Laponce Harrison, Shane learns the boll weevil’s history – and how this insect became an icon in the town of Enterprise, Alabama.

Shane’s journey begins in North Carolina, where Julius Tillery – a.k.a. “The Puff Daddy of Cotton” – is a 5th-generation Black cotton farmer. Julius and Shane dig into the rich soils that underlie the “Black Belt,” a broad swath of the South that formed the heart of the U.S. cotton industry.