On this journey, Martin wants to find out how the horse became so important to us. How did we manage to tame such a huge, nervous prey animal and make it both our servant and our friend? At home on his farm in Dorset, Martin rides his own horse Chester and explains how he was drawn into the equine world by his wife and daughter. To find out what makes horses tick Martin flies to Dubai, to the grand opening of the £1.7 billion Meydan racecourse. There he meets champion jockey Frankie Dettori and top trainer Luca Cumani, for a fascinating insight into horse psychology. He then heads further east to the heart of Mongolia, where he tracks down the one remaining horse breed that has never been tamed by man: the Przewalski horse, known in Mongolia as the Takhi.

The islands of the west are off the coasts of England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland with a couple in between. The journey begins on the tiny island of Piel, near Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. There, Clunes meets Steve Cuthbertson, who has taken on the tenancy of the island pub — and also inherited the traditional title of the King of Piel. Our next destination is the chain of islands known as the Outer Hebrides in Scotland, which are surrounded by some of the most dangerous seas in Britain. Then it's on to the Isle of Man, in the middle of the Irish Sea. With 80,000 inhabitants, Clunes discovers it's an independent-minded place with its own government, taxes and some strange creatures. The final destination — and the westernmost point in this journey — is Rathlin, the only inhabited island off the coast of Northern Ireland.

Gretchen Hull is presented by Classical Pianists of the Future. Currently earning her master’s degree at the Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University under Charles Abramovic, Gretchen Hull is a 2011 graduate of Houghton College, where she studied piano performance under Fleisher student William Newbrough. Gretchen is noted for the vitality and maturity she brings to her playing.

Mobile phones that read your mind? Video games that can cure cancer? Wearable robots that give you the strength of Ironman? David Pogue predicts which technologies will transform daily life for you — and your grandkids. These advancements are already taking shape in laboratories around the world — and gadgets that once were purely science fiction are on the verge of becoming as common as the iPhones and Androids Pogue reviews every day.

In August, a rover named Curiosity touched down inside Mars’ Gale Crater, carrying 10 new instruments that will advance the quest for signs that Mars might once have been suitable for life. But Curiosity’s mission is risky. After parachuting through the Martian atmosphere at twice the speed of sound, Curiosity was gently lowered to the planet’s surface by a “sky crane.” This first-of-its-kind system has been tested on Earth, but there was no guarantee it would work on Mars. With inside access to the massive team of scientists and engineers responsible for Curiosity’s on-the-ground experiments, NOVA was there for the exhilarating moments after Curiosity’s landing — and is there for the spectacular discoveries to come.

Ducks fly through the air on short stubby wings — traveling in large, energy-efficient formations over thousands of miles. There are some 150 species of them, representing a wide variety of shapes, sizes and behaviors. Some are noisy and gregarious, others shy and elusive. They are familiar animals we think we know. But most of us don’t really know these phenomenal, sophisticated creatures at all. This program follows a wood duck family as a male and female create a bond, migrate together across thousands of miles, nurture and protect a brood of chicks, then come full circle as they head to their wintering grounds.

Essentially every American who has listened to the radio or gone to summer camp knows Woody Guthrie's “This Land Is Your Land.” The music of the nation's signature folk singer/songwriter has been recorded by everyone from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to the Irish rock band U2. Originally blowing out of the Dust Bowl in 1930s Depression-era America, he blended vernacular, rural music and populism to give voice to millions of downtrodden citizens. Guthrie's prolific music, poetry and prose were politically leftist, uniquely patriotic and always inspirational. He joined music with traditional oral history and was central to the folk music revival. His is a complex story filled with frenetic creative energy and a treasure trove of cultural history — as well as personal imperfections and profound family tragedy.

If income inequality were a sport, the residents of 740 Park Avenue in Manhattan would all be medalists. This address boasts the highest number of billionaires in the United States, many of whom actively lobby and finance political campaigns to lower taxes on the wealthy. Less than four miles away, Park Avenue runs through New York’s 16th Congressional District in the South Bronx, which has the highest poverty rate in the U.S. Minutes away from one another as the crow flies, these New Yorkers face dramatically different economic realities. Directed by Alex Gibney.

This week on MARKET WARRIORS, pickers Miller, John, Bob and Kevin head to the Big Apple in search of big treasures at the Antiques Garage in the heart of New York City. They team up to find the right piece of ephemera from the 100 dealers packed into cramped quarters. Mark L.Walberg comments on the wide array of items the pickers find, such as an antique child’s rake, a woodcut of Grand Central Terminal, and an abstract painting of a woman. In addition, Bob and Miller team up against Kevin and John to find the target item of ephemera. The winning picker is determined at Ken Farmer’s Auctions in Radford, Virginia, where the items go under the hammer.

Whether it’s a ceramic dog or a painted cat, this special is chock full of appraisals featuring felines and canines — in sculpture, on canvas and in many other forms. Take a look at an original “Hush Puppy” mascot, dog portraits and one “naughty cat” bronze.