Mars might be the key to answering one of the most profound questions ever posed: Are we alone? And for us to start to answer this, we must first understand the geology and history of the planet.

The fourth planet from the Sun is built a lot like the Earth. Here we will discover how similar our two worlds actually are and what that means for Mars’ potential to have hosted life.

Here we will explore the geological history of Mars and discuss the importance of studying the rocks of Mars to help us further understand the Earth.

How can you figure out the age of rocks on another planet without actually doing fieldwork in person on that planet? Here we will discover how we are using Martian meteorites and impact craters to date the Red Planet.

Despite its similarities to Earth, Mars is a unique world that has undergone a lot of environmental change over time. Here we will recap key concepts and think about how we can apply them to our search for water on Mars next week.

This week we'll start to explore the availability of a key ingredient for life on Mars, water. Evidence suggests it flowed across the surface billions of years ago but has since disappeared. What happened to it? Where did it go?

Here we will focus on the properties of water and how this affects its stability on Mars. We will also explore the evidence for past liquid water activity on the surface and what this means for its ancient habitability.

Here you will be introduced to the early explorations of Mars and complete a Peer Graded Assignment based on the missions sent in the search for water.

Mars today is a red and dusty world, a frozen dry vestige of the planet it used to be. Here we'll explore what happened to Mars’ surface liquid water, if there is still liquid water possible today, and what we're doing to find it.

This week, you’ve learnt about the history of water on Mars, from a warmish wet world to a dry frozen one. Here we'll bring everything you’ve learnt about water together, ready for its application to the search for life next week.

“Life on Mars?” is not just the name of one of David Bowie’s best songs. It is also the ultimate scientific question, one which I and many others are working to answer. This week we will explore how our work is progressing.

A toxic atmosphere, minimal oxygen and an average temperature of -63°C makes the surface of Mars seem rather inhospitable to life, especially humans. Yet here we'll explore whether there are in fact habitable environments on Mars.

Here we will bring earlier concepts together to look at the search for life on Mars, what we are looking for, and how the environment of Mars is throwing a spanner in the works.

Previously, exploring Mars has been led by the premise ‘follow the water’. Now we've found water, we're ‘following the carbon’ in a bid to identify habitable environments on the planet, and maybe even find evidence of life itself.

This week we have covered the search for evidence of life on Mars, both today and in the past. Now it is time to wrap-up and consolidate everything you have learned in this course.