Smart Clothes: 
     WE'VE GOT SMART COMPUTERS, SMART BOMBS AND NOW SMART CLOTHES.  THEIR
IQ ISN'T SO HIGH BUT THEY DO HAVE AN AWESOME MEMORY--THEY CAN REMEMBER WHAT
TEMPERATURE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE AT AND KEEP IT THERE.  THE UPSHOT?  A GREAT SKI
PARKA, FOR ONE.

     Vigo: "In cold weather, the polymer on the fiber will trigger a heat release to
buffer that temperature drop and you wont' feel as cold as normally would, and
conversely when you come down off the ski slope and you get overheated, the polymer
will absorb heat and cool you off. "

     CHEMIST TYRONE VIGO WORKS AT THE US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
PERFECTING THIS SMART COTTON.  THE FIBER GETS ITS MEMORY FROM A COATING OF A
PLASTIC CALLED POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL.  THE MOLECULES OF POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL
ARE NORMALLY WOUND UP IN TIGHT COILS.  

(sfx: music effects to simulate coiling and uncoiling under here)

 ADD HEAT AND THE MOLECULES DON'T GET HOT--INSTEAD THEY USE THE ENERGY TO
UNWIND. IN THE COLD, THE MOLECULES COIL UP, AGAIN STAYING AT THE SAME
TEMPERATURE.  PUTTING A COATING Of THIS POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL ON COTTON CAN
KEEP THE FABRIC 15 DEGREES WARMER OR COOLER THAN THE AIR TEMPERATURE FOR UP
TO SEVERAL HOURS. 
     BUT TRICKS WITH TEMPERATURE ISN'T ALL THAT SMART COTTON CAN DO.  IT ALSO
ABSORBS HUGE AMOUNTS OF WATER.

     Vigo: "The skin is kept dry, because the coated fabric are very hydrophyllic or
water loving."
  
     THAT KEEPS YOU EVEN WARMER AND ALSO WILL HAVE APPLICATIONS IN MEDICINE,
WHERE BANDAGES AND BED SHEETS NEED TO STAY DRY.