This week we look at how animals are helping people live better and longer lives. Kevin Enochs tells us how dogs are being used to fight the spread of Malaria. Faith Lapidus takes us to a Mississippi farm where the descendants of the first horses in the Americas are thriving. Mil Arcega tells us about how Yaks are making a new home in Colorado.

This week we travel along as some teen girls build their confidence through a voyage on board a sailing ship. Then we'll visit one of the remotest observatories in the United States to see how it helps monitor climate change. And just in time for Halloween, we visit a pumpkin patch in Maryland.

This week, we meet some folks who are working with ex-cons to start over in life. We also hear about a high-tech mirror that can give you a 3-D readout on your smart phone. And some of the recycling trucks in Washington, DC are doubling as works of art.

This week, we meet Concetta Antico, a woman who has a special kind of vision that allows her to see colors other humans can't. And we'll also hear from Grammy and Tony award-winning singer Dee Dee Bridgewater.

This week we meet two groups of people using art to bridge gaps. In Leesburg, Virginia we visit Clay and Metal, where two artists are helping to build community. Then we travel to Chicago to a special art space on Sedgwick Street, where art is helping bridge the economic gaps between those who live on the east side and those who live on the west side of this thoroughfare.

This week, we hear about a European Space Agency mission to the sun with some down-to-earth goals. Then Deborah Block tells us about new technology that helps the disabled.

This week we talk with comedian, professor, and podcast host Wayne Federman about his new show The History of Standup. Wayne's podcast traces the history of the art form from its earliest times to modern day standup specials.

What does it mean to be truly alive? Are there things you do that make you feel the most alive? Can anyone do them? This week, we meet the host and narrator of a new documentary series The Search for Aliveness. They're asking people all over the world to tell them waht makes them truly alive.

This week we visit a co-living facility in Brooklyn where people are redefining the American dream of home ownership. Then Elizabeth Lee introduces us to interns at the Academy Gold program in Los Angeles, where people from underserved communities are learning the film business.

This week we introduce you to some members of the Walk of America team. They are combat veterans walking more than 1,600 kilometers across the United States to raise awareness - and money - to help veterans in the UK and the USA.