Mars has been the subject for the past months now, especially as the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter has been showing progress photos as they explore and examine the Red Planet for NASA. The main goal of the Mars mission is to determine if the planet is liveable for human standards, and a recent claim by scientists shows proof of life on Mars with mushroom fungus.
Left: Mushroom shedding cructose on Earth, Right: Alleged Fungi on Mars rock
Proof of life on Mars may not be the typical extraterrestrial creature that is being imagined by most conspiracy theorists, sci-fi novels, films, or movies, and by children. There are many forms of life including plants and other animals that can live on any surfaces like insects, but in this case, life on Mars is theorized to be mushrooms that are attached to rocks from NASA's photos.
While this may be a massive letdown for some, this is something to marvel at for the scientists that argue its existence and proof that Mars has life and is capable of supporting it for the many organisms. The NASA Ingenuity helicopter and Perseverance rover are on the mission for this specific discovery, and soon find if human life is applicable for the planet.
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Mars' Proof of Life: Mushroom on a Rock
According to researchers Dr. Rhawn Gabriel Joseph, Dr. Rudolph Schild from Harvard-Smithsonian, and Dr. Xinlei Wei, a microbiologist from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the photos were taken from NASA's Curiosity rover. These images have presented a close look at the exploration of the earlier spacecraft that has been on Mars earlier than the current missionaries.
The study entitled "Fungi on Mars? Evidence of Growth and Behavior from Sequential Images" narrates that the file photos from NASA's Curiosity rover show evidence of life found on rocks that were in the Red Planet. While this study does not prove anything and is currently a working theory for the academics that are studying it, it presents an idea that may explain Mars' physiology.
According to Daily Mail, these scientists have dubbed these odd-looking organisms or suspected fungi to be "mushrooms," which are the same ones found on Earth, which also grow on rocks and certain areas. However, mushrooms or fungus are known to be dwellers in moist or damp areas, and Mars currently has no traces of water on its surface.
Is the Fungus a Fluke, No Life on Mars?
Left: Mushroom found on Earth, Middle: Mushroom Illustration, Right: Alleged Fungi on Mars
While there is no way of knowing if these mushrooms are real or not, this study is best considered as a working theory for the scientists and has no concrete proof that these are living organisms on the Red Planet. Moreover, the images that the scientists have based on are from the Curiosity rover, and the current Perseverance mission may yet to prove this further or shut down the theory.
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Written by Isaiah Richard
