Jul 24, 2023 09:59 AM
(This post was last modified: Jul 24, 2023 06:49 PM by C C.)
The first is a circulated, muddled mainstream news article that doesn't provide a link to the paper. The second doesn't provide a link, either, but references an astronomer with a more mundane view.
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Alien spaceship may have caused formations on Mars claims astrobiology paper
https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/world/an-...r-AA1efB4q
EXCERPTS: An alien spaceship crash landing cannot be ruled out as the cause of the strange pointy protrusions found on Mars, scientists have said.
[...] a new paper published in the Journal of Astrobiology concludes that the formations might be “sand spikes”, similar to those known to form on Earth in water-logged sands during strong earthquakes of magnitude seven and greater.
[...] in the new paper, experts say it is unlikely the strange objects were linked to human craft because they do not look like anything sent from Earth.
Writing in the journal, the authors say: “Given that possibly 10 or more craft have crashed upon the surface, coupled with the jettison of equipment associated with landing the rovers, it is possible the spikes and its substrate are human-made and consist of debris that fell onto the surface of Gale Crater.
“Nevertheless, no debris field is evident and no evidence of any additional debris that may have originated on Earth.
“Given its small size and that there are no known human-made analogs and no logical explanation as to what purpose these spikes may serve, it does not seem likely these specimens are the remnants of craft or equipment that fell into Gale Crater.
“One can only speculate about extraterrestrial origins.”
The team say although “sand spikes” are a plausible explanation, the Martian protrusions do not have the same bulbous ends as spikes on Earth.
Unlike Earth spikes, Martian spikes are also sometimes serrated.
The experts say the spikes could also be linked to activity by tiny microorganisms on Mars, because they are close to features reminiscent of fungi or microbialites – layered rocky structures formed by communities of microbes.
They may also be the remains of petrified algae or trace fossils, such as sand-filled worm burrows... (MORE - missing details)
"Alien crash" on Mars more likely to be unusual geological features
https://www.newstalk.com/news/alien-spac...es-1490155
EXCERPTS: A photo of unusual pointed protrusions on the surface of Mars is more likely to be "new geological features" than the site of an alien spaceship crash.
That's according to Roscommon astronomer Dr Eamon Ansbro following a Journal of Astrobiology report stating that the pictures from NASA's Curiosity Rover on Mars "cannot be discounted with absolute certainty" as having no link to extraterrestrial life.
The images depict rows of spikes, plates and wedges which protruded from rocks lying on the Gale Crater's floor.
The report also states that "fragments including what appears to be wheels, an axle and a cratered debris field have been photographed in another Gale Crater location".
[...] Researchers at the NASA Ames Research Centre and the SETI Institute have said they cannot fully discount the possibility that they could be related to extraterrestrial or terrestrial spacecraft debris.
"They are warming to a much larger reality that we could be dealing with extraterrestrial spacecraft," said Dr Ansboro... (MORE - details)
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Alien spaceship may have caused formations on Mars claims astrobiology paper
https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/world/an-...r-AA1efB4q
EXCERPTS: An alien spaceship crash landing cannot be ruled out as the cause of the strange pointy protrusions found on Mars, scientists have said.
[...] a new paper published in the Journal of Astrobiology concludes that the formations might be “sand spikes”, similar to those known to form on Earth in water-logged sands during strong earthquakes of magnitude seven and greater.
[...] in the new paper, experts say it is unlikely the strange objects were linked to human craft because they do not look like anything sent from Earth.
Writing in the journal, the authors say: “Given that possibly 10 or more craft have crashed upon the surface, coupled with the jettison of equipment associated with landing the rovers, it is possible the spikes and its substrate are human-made and consist of debris that fell onto the surface of Gale Crater.
“Nevertheless, no debris field is evident and no evidence of any additional debris that may have originated on Earth.
“Given its small size and that there are no known human-made analogs and no logical explanation as to what purpose these spikes may serve, it does not seem likely these specimens are the remnants of craft or equipment that fell into Gale Crater.
“One can only speculate about extraterrestrial origins.”
The team say although “sand spikes” are a plausible explanation, the Martian protrusions do not have the same bulbous ends as spikes on Earth.
Unlike Earth spikes, Martian spikes are also sometimes serrated.
The experts say the spikes could also be linked to activity by tiny microorganisms on Mars, because they are close to features reminiscent of fungi or microbialites – layered rocky structures formed by communities of microbes.
They may also be the remains of petrified algae or trace fossils, such as sand-filled worm burrows... (MORE - missing details)
"Alien crash" on Mars more likely to be unusual geological features
https://www.newstalk.com/news/alien-spac...es-1490155
EXCERPTS: A photo of unusual pointed protrusions on the surface of Mars is more likely to be "new geological features" than the site of an alien spaceship crash.
That's according to Roscommon astronomer Dr Eamon Ansbro following a Journal of Astrobiology report stating that the pictures from NASA's Curiosity Rover on Mars "cannot be discounted with absolute certainty" as having no link to extraterrestrial life.
The images depict rows of spikes, plates and wedges which protruded from rocks lying on the Gale Crater's floor.
The report also states that "fragments including what appears to be wheels, an axle and a cratered debris field have been photographed in another Gale Crater location".
[...] Researchers at the NASA Ames Research Centre and the SETI Institute have said they cannot fully discount the possibility that they could be related to extraterrestrial or terrestrial spacecraft debris.
"They are warming to a much larger reality that we could be dealing with extraterrestrial spacecraft," said Dr Ansboro... (MORE - details)