Some Mars photos taken by the rover Curiosity feature rock formations that look strangely like earthly creatures.
When the photos were released online, people speculated about alien life. But when you look at the pictures, they're obviously just rocks.
Scientists have concluded that the people are responding to a psychological phenomenon called pareidolia. Basically, their brain connects the shapes of rocks to familiar objects. Like abstract art.
The author of the article interviewed one of these scientists named Ashwin Vasavada. While Mars is capable of supporting life, he thinks the "aliens" would be microscopic and not nearly as advanced as the creatures the internet claims to see- rats, iguanas, etc..
Interestingly enough, Vasavada is surprised by the photos of Mars because of their normality. The environment of Mars strikes him as remarkably similar to Earth's. I think this is important because science fiction has shaped our expectations of alien life. When people look at the Mars pictures, they expect to see ethereal landscapes and creatures, so that's what their brain wants to see. But in reality, it doesn't look that different from our own planet.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/28/tech/mars-photos-alien-life/index.html
Katie Schell (flex)
ReplyDeleteI think it is so amazing how far we have come over the past decade in space discovery. I can't imagine what it would be like to look down on earth from a space shuttle.
That's really interesting that when humans expect to see something, then they see it.
ReplyDelete^ Shara Jeyarajah
ReplyDeleteMatthew Homsher 9th- It's interesting that NASA discovered this. It's that same thing that causes you to see shapes in clouds, except now they're rocks.
ReplyDeleteI find any news related to outer space and our universe to be particularly fascinating! It's amazing how far our technology and knowledge has come and I will be looking forward to see where it takes us in the future! -Nicole Chatham 6th period
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