National Geographic launches its 2^nd annual Expedition Week this Sunday (November 15), including everything from the past to the present to the future and from primitive technology to current technology to technology-yet-to-come. This year's programs combine exotic locales with sensational subjects as the expeditions show things that have never been seen before. Here's what you can watch this year:

Search for the Amazon Headshrinkers (Sunday, Nov. 15th at 9pm)

Hot on the trail of explorer Edmundo Bielawski, author/explorer Piers Gibbon heads deep into the Amazon in search of the location of an indigenous tribe that still performs the act of head-shrinking. Looking for the origin of the only known video that supposedly shows an actual head being shrunk, Piers traces his way to the village of Tukupi and finds the last remaining warrior versed in this lost tradition.  Prepare to have your mind expanded on the process of head-shrinking. Check out a video preview at the bottom of this post or go to the Nat Geo website to upload a photo and shrink your own head.

Expedition Great White (Monday, Nov. 16th at 9pm)

In this sneak peek of an upcoming 10-episode series, Chris Fischer and his crew help Dr. Michael Domeier perform the nearly impossible task of catching, tagging, and releasing giant great white sharks off the coast of Baja, California in an effort to better understand their migration patterns. Along for the ride is Paul Walker, of "The Fast and the Furious" fame, lending a hand…though we can't imagine what it would be like if Nat Geo manages to coerce Vin Diesel to come help wrestle hammerheads.

Hunt for the Samurai Subs (Tuesday, Nov. 17th at 9pm)

While the atomic bombs went off in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a fleet of advanced Japanese submarines crept quickly and quietly toward America - only to be confiscated by the U.S. on the heels of their victory and immediately sunk into the deep Pacific. Now a group armed with deep-sea research vehicles are scouring every inch of the plateaus and trenches from Hawaii to the Land of the Rising Sun in search of this great submarine cemetery.

Deep Secrets: The Ballard Gallipoli Expedition (Wednesday, Nov. 18th at 9pm)

On the other side of the world, "Explorer-in-Residence" Dr. Bob Ballard puts his crew and small manned submersibles to the test as he sets his sights on the depths off the coasts of the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey - the site of one of the most brutal conflicts of World War I. Pushing the limits of undersea research, Ballard and his crew send down the ROV's Hercules and Argus to locate the British and French warships lost nearly 100 years ago. Presented in HD, ship wreckage never looked so good.

Mars: Making the New Earth (Thursday, Nov. 19th at 9pm)

Could Mars be the next habitable planet?  NASA astrobiologist Dr. Chris McKay looks to bring a sci-fi dream to reality as he investigates how to turn a cold, dry, lifeless rock into a galactic garden. CGI visualizations help bring the concept of terraforming the Red Planet (and our hopes of new habitable homes) to life.

 

The First Jesus (Friday, Nov. 20th at 9pm)

We've heard the story before - a man considered "King of the Jews" who was labeled a Messiah and put to death by the Romans just before Passover and was supposedly resurrected. Only this time, his name is Simon, a man who lived - and died - a mere four years before Jesus was born. Examining a large stone tablet found in Israel, investigators check out the validity of the artifact and other records to see if Simon was indeed a precursor to Christ. "The Last Temptation of Simon" does have a ring to it.

 

When Crocs Ate Dinosaurs (Saturday, Nov. 21st at 9pm)

Terrorizing animals on land and sea for millions of years, crocodiles are no strangers to National Geographic. Yet, this time, Dr. Paul Sereno takes recently discovered fossils and sinks his teeth into the mystery surrounding their ancient ancestors. He and his team use technology and science to help bring these Cretaceous creatures to life once again and see just what life was like before Steve Irwin might have dared to check crocs out.

 

 

This expedition week promises to push every boundary imagined (and unimagined) - so be sure to tune in nightly (November 15 - 21 @ 9pm) and head over to the Nat Geo Expedition Week website for more details.

Cason Murphy started in the entertainment business at the age of three when he "picked a rabbit out of his hat" during a tap recital - and hasn't had the good sense to get out yet. When he's not selling his soul to academia at UCLA's School of Theater, Film & Television, he is making good use of his DVR.