The fourth planet from the sun, Mars is the closest approximation to Earth that we have.

In this episode, we discuss how liquid water has been discovered on Mars for the first time by the NASA InSight Lander. We also cover the geology of Mars, including its internal core, mantle and crust.

We highlight that similar evidence for water has also been identified on the dwarf planet Ceres using the NASA Dawn spacecraft.

For this week's "What in the world?" we use Roman mythology to uncover the origins of the word volcano and a love affair between Mars and Venus.

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In this episode we cover the oldest rocks on Earth, stretching to our planet's formation 4.54 billion years ago.

We explain where the rocks are found and how we date them using radioactive elements, including the geology of Greenland, Canada and Australia.

We also discuss a mythical rock that was used to summon troops by King Alfred the Great during the Battle of Ashdown in Britain in 871 CE.

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In this episode, we discuss gold, including how it and massive gold deposits are formed and its journey through human history.

We also ask if alchemy is possible, including some examples of failed (and possibly successful) attempts, and finish by suggesting that Olympic gold medalists may not want to put that medal in their mouths.

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