Fossils on Mars? (Vanity)

March 7th, 2004 | FreedomCalls

[FreedomCalls]

Does this look like fossilized kelp or something from a coral reef to you? It sure does to me. It's from the images sent back by the Opportunity rover from Mars. All opinions are welcome.

[FreedomCalls]

Here is where the original images can be found.

[Diogenesis]

It CANT be biological. NASA never has a biologist or physician on its Press meetings. Must be dead. Move along.

[Paul Atreides]

Looks like a close-up of Ol' Crusty, to me.

[Paleo Conservative]

What's the scale? I don't see any object of known size.

[Grig]

No, that's an extreem close up of Kerry.

[Paul Atreides]

Ahhhhh! When Botox injections go bad.

[Dataman]

Why would fossilized kelp be in bas relief? Most soft plants and leaves are pressed flat as paper.

[Godebert]

"Does this look like fossilized kelp or something from a coral reef to you?"

Nope. They're wasting their time looking for evidence of life on Mars. Environmental conditions favorable for life were too short-lived on Mars. It took almost a billion years before life emerged on Earth.

[Miss Marple]

Thhis picture is ambiguous, in my opinion. There are other pictures which look much more like fossils.

I have a degree in geology, so I am not speaking from popular opinion.

[VadeRetro]

That's a close-up of Teddy Kennedy's nose.

[Paradox]

We have been speculating here on FR for a number of weeks about possible fossils. Do a search on "mars" for some of those threads. There is the one that looks like a rotini pasta, then one that looks a little like a trilobyte. Then a couple of others..

[RightWhale]

This is not fossils. It is precipitate from mineralized water.

[Celtjew Libertarian]

If someone told me it was the result of water, I'd believe them. It looks something like Bryce Canyon -- on a much smaller scale, of course. I don't know about it looking like a fossil. But I have minimal knowledge in the area.

[demlosers]

[Grig]

Are you saying NASA spent billions of dollars to cover up that fosil that nobody would have found if they didn't go there?

[Seruzawa]

It's a pre-spice mass!

[demlosers]

No, but Hoexland thinks so.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

That's a close-up of Teddy Kennedy's nose.

More likely his liver.

[Paul Atreides]

I think I see Dr. Kynes, on top.

[4mycountry]

It looks like a rock. :}