Latest news with #Curiosity
Mint
a day ago
- Science
- Mint
Mushroom on Mars? Blog post claims to spot a sign of life on red planet
A decade-old image from NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has resurfaced online, reigniting speculation about the possibility of life on the Red Planet. The photograph, originally taken on September 19, 2013, recently caught the attention of UFO enthusiast Scott Waring, who claims it features an object resembling a mushroom. Waring, a self-proclaimed UFO hunter known for his blog on extraterrestrial phenomena, said he discovered the unusual formation while reviewing archived Mars images on NASA's website. Highlighting a small protrusion near the centre-bottom of the image, he suggested it closely resembles a mushroom with a curved stem and wrinkled cap, similar to those found on Earth. His claims have since gone viral on social media, fuelling renewed debate over the existence of alien life. The image was captured by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), a camera attached to the rover's robotic arm that provides high-resolution images of Martian rocks and soil. In a blog post, Waring criticised NASA for allegedly ignoring the object. 'NASA should have poked it, bumped it, knocked it over, or cut it open using their onboard tools—or even used their laser to investigate,' he wrote. However, scientific experts have been quick to refute the claim. Dr Gareth Dorrian, a planetary scientist at the University of Birmingham, told the Daily Mail that the object is more likely a naturally occurring rock formation. According to him, what appears to be a mushroom is probably a disc-shaped rock that may have been exposed over time as wind eroded the surrounding sand and dust. While the object may not provide definitive evidence of life, the resurfaced image has revived public curiosity around one of space science's biggest unanswered questions: Is there—or was there ever—life on Mars? NASA's Curiosity rover, which has been operating on the Martian surface since 2012, has found promising clues over the years. It has detected organic molecules in Martian rocks and methane in the atmosphere, both considered potential indicators of microbial life. Yet, no conclusive evidence has emerged so far. With multiple international missions planned in the coming years, including Mars sample-return projects, scientists continue to explore the Red Planet's past and present habitability. The viral mushroom-like rock may not offer the answers, but it's a reminder of just how invested humanity remains in unlocking Mars' many mysteries.
NDTV
a day ago
- Science
- NDTV
"Mushroom" On Mars: Is This A Sign Of Life On Red Planet?
An old image captured by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has resurfaced, intriguing people because of a peculiar object seen in it. The image was taken on September 19, 2013, but the fresh detail was recently spotted by Scott Waring, self-proclaimed UFO hunter. Highlighting a portion in the photo, Waring said he "found a mushroom". The details were soon picked up by social media users who also pointed out that a formation in the picture resembles a toadstool or a mushroom. From aliens to UFOs, people have a number of conspiracy theories, but the image has reignited the same old question: Is there life on Mars? According to NASA, Curiosity took that image using its Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), which is located on the turret at the end of the rover's robotic arm. Waring, in his blog post, claimed that he was looking through the NASA site and found a mushroom at the bottom centre of the photo. "I'm not sure how or why NASA could overlook such a NASA's mission it to find life on other planets and moons," he added. He argued that the object has a curved bottom part of a stem, the same as those on Earth. The top is round, uneven and wrinkled. "NASA should have poked it, bumped it, knocked it over, cut it open with their tools on Curiosity rover or at least use that million dollar laser they burn rocks and dirt with in many photos," Waring wrote. Unlike Waring, another scientist has taken a different approach. Dr Gareth Dorrian, a planetary physicist from the University of Birmingham, said that the object is not a living organism, but looks like a flat, disc-shaped rock. "My best guess would be they were not originally in that position, but like two rocks lying in the desert, one just below the surface and the other on the surface above it. Over time the wind could gradually blow the sand and dust away, and the top one would gradually settle onto the bottom one," Daily Mail quoted Dr Dorrian as saying. Is there life on Mars? The question of life on Mars is a complex one. While there's currently no definitive evidence of life on the Red Planet, scientists continue to explore the possibility. The Curiosity rover has been exploring Mars since 2012, discovering evidence of past water on Mars and studying the planet's geology. NASA's Curiosity Rover has found organic molecules, which are building blocks of life, in Martian rocks. Methane has also been detected in the Martian atmosphere, which could be a sign of microbial life. So far, there is no definitive evidence of life on Mars, however, ongoing and future missions will continue to explore the Red Planet's habitability and potential for life.
Metro
2 days ago
- Science
- Metro
Expert gives verdict on 'wrinkled mushroom' spotted on Mars
UFO hunters are excited after spotting a 'mushroom' on the dusty surface of Mars. The image was taken by Nasa's Curiosity rover in 2013, but the freak 'fungi' on the surface of the Red Planet remained unnoticed… until now. Scott Waring shared a photo of the 'mushroom' on his website, which regularly finds things such as a secret door or a baby bear on Mars, earlier this week, saying: 'I'm not sure how or why NASA could overlook such a thing.' He claimed: 'The top is round, uneven and wrinkled… same as the ones in my front yard. This one has clearly pushed up out of the Mars dirt. 'Did you know that mushroom spores can live in the harsh environment of space and may have travelled to Mars this way?' But while it's true that mushroom spores are hardy, and have even survived over a year in outer space conditions on the International Space Station, this particular rock is not an alien species of portobello. Astrobiologist Dr Louisa Preston, head of planetary science at UCL's Mullard Space Science Laboratory, told Metro: 'Given the environmental extremes on the surface of Mars such as high sterilising radiation, low atmospheric pressure and below freezing temperatures, this is not a mushroom. 'These conditions are too extreme for the most hardiest life forms we have found on the Earth to survive, let alone mushrooms. 'If life does exist on Mars, it is more likely to be found below ground, where it would be shielded from the harsh environment at the surface. 'The image is simply a mixture of cool-looking rocks, quite possibly rounded concretions or eroded pebbles, and a great camera angle, that has captured a bigger rock sitting on or simply located above a smaller rock.' She added that while we can learn a lot about Mars from sending rovers out there, it is still very tricky to take and transmit images of another planet. 'The surrounding geological context, shadows, angle of the rover in relation to the rocks, and where the Sun is, all affect the types of images we get and importantly how we interpret them,' she said. More Trending 'In this case it is clever camera work and some interesting rocks lying next to each other, not mushrooms.' If you're disappointed that the 'mushroom' is not a mushroom, take heart that there's still hope to find other life on Mars. Biomarkers are more likely to have been conserved beneath the surface, where they haven't been blasted with space radiation. The Rosalind Franklin rover will head to Mars in 2028, designed to drill up to two metres beneath the planet's surface hunting for evidence of past — or maybe even present — life. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Why did Donald Trump and Elon Musk fall out? Feud explained MORE: Trump accuses Musk of 'going crazy' after Epstein files 'bomb' in public feud MORE: Scientists have a new way to find aliens – and they could be closer than we think
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Amid NASA cuts, popular social accounts for Mars rovers, Voyager going dark
President Trump's NASA budget plans look to cut its public relations funding by half, but already the agency is shuttering social media accounts that include those dedicated to popular missions including Mars Curiosity, Mars Perseverance and Voyager. Those three in particular have quite the fanbase on X with Curiosity's account touting more than 4 million followers, Perseverance and its little flying buddy Ingenuity have more than 2.9 million followers and Voyager nearly 900,000. The X handles for the robotic missions have taken whimsical approaches to posting over the years. And after NASA announced Monday the planned consolidation of accounts, prompting an outpouring of support online, each posted thankful responses. 'Wow, thank you all for the supportive messages. I may be a robot, but I felt every bit of love,' reads a post from @MarsCuriosity, the account created in 2008 on what was then Twitter ahead of its 2011 launch from Cape Canaveral and 2012 landing on Mars. 'Every single one of you has made this curious journey even more meaningful. This account isn't archived just yet — so stick around for some highlights these next few weeks.' The account for @NASAPersevere, created in 2020 for the mission that launched that year and landed on Mars in 2021, posted a 'Thank you' with a heart emoji and said, 'All of your supportive words are more meaningful to me than ones and zeroes could ever be. My work on Mars continues, and while this account will soon be archived, I'm going to share a few mission highlights before signing off.' The account for @NASAVoyager, created in 2010 for the nearly 50-year-old mission, posted, 'Thanks to everyone who sent messages of support after yesterday's announcement that this account will be archived in coming weeks. Until then, we'd love to take you on a trip down memory lane and highlight some of our grand adventures and discoveries. Sound OK to you?' Another mission-specific account to hear the death knell is for New Horizons, which flew by Pluto in 2015 and is now traveling through the Kuiper Belt. It's one of several active missions the proposed Trump budget looks to shut down. It similarly posted a farewell message @NASANewHorizons and like the others asks followers to look for updates on other NASA accounts that remain active. They are among the most popular accounts as NASA streamlines its message, according to the agency announcement. Some social media accounts shuttering include NASA's Launch Services Program (@NASA_LSP) and Exploration Ground Systems (@nasagroundsys) based at Kennedy Space Center. Also being consolidated are Orion (@NASA_Orion), Space Launch System (@NASA_SLS) and Gateway lunar station (@NASA_Gateway) accounts under the Artemis program. Others shuttering include ones dedicated to NASA's astronaut corps (@NASA_Astronauts), climate missions (@nasaclimate), the Commercial Crew Program (@Commercial_Crew), moon science (@NASAMoon) and atmosphere research (@NASAAtmosphere) among others. 'Over time, NASA's social media footprint has expanded considerably, growing to over 400 individual accounts across 15 platforms,' the agency posted. 'While this allowed for highly specialized updates, it also created a fragmented digital landscape that was challenging for both the public to navigate and for NASA to manage efficiently.' NASA will still give updates to the missions, but just on broader channels. So many will be deactivated, while some will merge and in a few cases some will be rebranded. The move is a precursor to plans to centralize communications in its headquarters and eliminate those at its nine space centers, including Kennedy Space Center, according to Trump's proposed 2026 budget. 'Beginning in FY 2026, the Office of Communications will restructure the organization to an Agency or centralized structure vs Center-specific to eliminate functions not statutorily mandated, except functions the Agency deems necessary, consolidate management layers and duplicative functions, and evaluate/implement technological solutions that automate routine tasks,' reads the proposal. The 2024 budget funded the Office of Communications with $76.2 million of the NASA's nearly $25 billion. The 2026 spending plan drops that to $33.8 million of the agency's $18.8 billion. That includes eliminating $7.8 million for KSC — the most of any space center's public relations budgets. The shuttering of individual accounts is part of a plan for a more uniform message, NASA stated, citing the 1958 law creating the agency that required the 'widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information concerning its activities and the results thereof.' 'The 2025 social media consolidation project is designed to fulfill this mandate more effectively. By reducing the number of agency accounts, NASA seeks to make its work more accessible to the public, avoiding the potential for oversaturation or confusion that can arise from numerous social media accounts bearing the NASA name and insignia,' it stated. Aside from fans who bemoaned losing the popular accounts, the change in approach has critics — including Jonathan McDowell. The British-American astronomer and astrophysicist works at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics' Chandra X-ray Center. 'So @NASA is consolidating media accounts for 'consistent messaging'. Which is bad the same way every cafe in town being a Starbucks forcing a consistent menu on you is bad. Much less chance of something interesting to *your* taste but not to HQ making it into the public domain,' McDowell posted on X. 'In my view the core strength of social media is letting individual voices and their quirks find their individual audiences. Making a bland uniform corporate account to replace individual @NASA voices is a mistake.'
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Curiosity Expands Global Footprint with New Slate of International Content Licensing Deals
AI Training Licensing to Top-Tier Tech Companies Continues to Boom SILVER SPRING, Md., June 13, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Curiosity Inc. (Nasdaq: CURI), a global factual media and entertainment company, today announced a new slate of international content licensing agreements, reinforcing its strategic focus on distribution and global audience reach. These partnerships span linear broadcasters, educational platforms, and digital outlets across multiple continents, solidifying Curiosity's role as a leading global supplier of premium factual storytelling. The new licensing deals include major agreements with: France TV for the nature documentary series Planet Insect The WNET Group (U.S.), home to America's flagship PBS station in New York, for several Curiosity originals Canal+ (France) for the critically acclaimed Titans: The Rise of Wall Street Kanopy for a wide range of factual and educational titles SRC/Explora (Canada) for Planet Insect SRF (Switzerland) for the innovation-driven series Oops, I Changed the World V-Me TV (U.S. Hispanic) for a wide range of factual programming NATV (Korea) for the environmental science program Fateful Planet Al Jazeera (MENA) for the bold food culture series Eat Me or Try Not To In addition to traditional licensing deals, Curiosity is actively licensing hundreds of thousands of hours of video and audio content to top-tier technology companies for use in generative AI training. This emerging business line reflects the accelerating demand for high-quality, richly annotated media assets in the development of next-generation artificial intelligence and machine learning tools. "Content licensing has become one of the most dynamic engines of our business," said Ludo Dufour, VP of Content Licensing at Curiosity. "These latest deals are part of a broader effort to unlock the full value of our catalog, including new and classic titles, by getting them into the hands of more viewers, educators, and platforms around the world. The fact that our programs resonate across so many cultures speaks to the universal appetite for smart, entertaining factual content." These new licensing partnerships contribute directly to Curiosity's revenue growth strategy by increasing global monetization opportunities for its deep library of premium content. At the same time, they align with the company's mission to make knowledge-rich programming accessible to curious minds everywhere, across platforms and languages. About CuriosityStream Inc. CuriosityStream Inc. is the entertainment brand for people who want to know more. The global media company is home to award-winning original and curated factual films, shows, and series covering science, nature, history, technology, society, and lifestyle. With millions of subscribers worldwide and thousands of titles, the company operates the flagship Curiosity Stream SVOD service, available in more than 175 countries worldwide; Curiosity Channel, the linear television channel available via global distribution partners; Curiosity University, featuring talks from the best professors at the world's most renowned universities as well as courses, short and long-form videos, and podcasts; Curiosity Now, Curiosity Explora, and other free, ad-supported channels; Curiosity Audio Network, with original content and podcasts; and Curiosity Studios, which oversees original programming. For more information, visit View source version on Contacts Media Contact:
