Mysterious picture taken by the Mars Curiosity rover has more than a few people scratching their rocket scientist heads.
Some are calling the object a flower. Analysis has determined that this is not a piece of the rover itself, as has been the case in the past, and is attached to the rock rather than sitting on it.
It looks more like a fungus than a flower to me.
But then its opalescent sheen is reminiscent of a slime mold as well
Which is not to suggest that the discovery of either would be nay less momentous, any form of life past or present on the surface of Mars widens our knowledge of how and where life is capable of evolving and thriving and helps us understand our place in the Universe better. And I am in no way qualified to suggest either of the above as possibilities for what this discovery may be, only voicing my observation. This object could very well, likely is not representative of life of any kind.
Growing up in the 70’s I remember there was a kit you could buy with a small tank and a few “seeds.” You put water in the tank and added the seeds and grew your own crystal fantasy landscape in a jar. Many crystals grow in water like these boric crystals.
which do bear a small resemblance to the martin mystery object
But even these sorts of grown crystals give evidence of flowing water on the surface of Mars and promise we may be able to someday probe the history of the red planet as gas bubbles caught within crystal matrices can give an idea of ancient atmosphere, just as we have learned of the ancient Earth by analysing bubbles trapped in amber.
Then again, maybe some Martian Princess dropped her earring.
There may be no answer to the identity of this object that does not come out as a significant discovery for our exploration of our nearest neighbours.
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