Signs of life on Mars! Curiosity Rover spots mushroom like object on the red planet
NASA's Curiosity rover sparks life debate on Mars with discovery of mushroom-like object, reigniting questions about life beyond Earth.
A ten-year-old picture taken by NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on September 19, 2013, has appeared on the internet. People are curious about a strange object which looks like a mushroom. The photo was taken with the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) located on the end of the rover’s robotic arm, which provides close-up images of Martian rocks and soil.
Scott Waring, an amateur UFO hunter, recently pointed out the object in the image as being a potential sign of life on Mars. He explained that the object had mushroom-like features from Earth, such as a curved stem and rounded, un-even top. Waring was critical of NASA for apparently not paying attention to the object, and they should have tried to investigate more with the tools available from the rover.
Yet planetary physicist Dr. Gareth Dorrian does not share Waring’s interpretation. According to Dr. Dorrian, the object is most probably a flat, disk-shaped rock formed through wind erosion, which is not uncommon on Mars. Wind erosion may produce strange rock shapes, and scientists stress the need for strict analysis rather than speculation.
The Curiosity rover has been surveying Mars since 2012 and has already discovered several key findings, such as confirmation of Mars’ past water and organic molecules in Martian rocks.Methane has also been detected in the atmosphere of Mars which could point towards microbial life. Though no proof of life has been found on Mars, missions both past and present will continue to explore the habitability of the “Red Planet” and whether or not there is indeed life.
