Latest news with #ScottWaring
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
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Life on Mars? Mysterious 'mushroom' is spotted on the Red Planet in photo snapped by NASA's Curiosity rover
Scientists have spent decades scouring the Martian surface for any signs of life. Now, a photo snapped by NASA 's Curiosity rover has sparked speculation that the hunt might finally be over. A picture taken from the Martian surface appears to show a 'mushroom' growing on the Red Planet. The strange discovery has led some alien hunters to declare: ' been found!' The photo was taken by the Curiosity rover on September 19, 2013, but was spotted in the archives by UFO hunter Scott Waring. Mr Waring says: 'This object has a curved bottom part of a stem, same as those on Earth. 'I'm not sure how or why NASA could overlook such a NASA's mission is to find life on other planets and moons.' However, scientists say there is a much simpler explanation. NASA's Curiosity rover was launched to Mars in 2011 with the goal of discovering whether the planet had the right conditions to support microscopic life. To help this search, the rover is equipped with multiple cameras, a drill to gather rock samples, and sets of tools to analyse the chemical compositions of samples. However, despite a decade of searching, Curiosity has never found any evidence that Mars is or ever was home to any form of alien life. But that hasn't stopped wild speculation following many of the rover's discoveries. Following his discovery of this archived image, Mr Waring claims that the rocky structure is a mushroom that has 'clearly pushed up out of the Mars dirt.' He adds: '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.' And Mr Waring isn't the only one who agrees. Commenters on social media flocked to share their support for his claims. One wrote: Looks like a mushroom to me! NASA know far more about MARS than they let on.' While another boldly claimed: 'What people fail to realize is if life is found on just one other planet in the solar system, then that basically means there is life everywhere in the Universe mathematically.' However, scientists are not convinced by this supposed evidence. Dr Gareth Dorrian, a planetary physicist from the University of Birmingham, told MailOnline that this is simply a 'flat roughly disc-shaped rock sitting atop a smaller stone at the bottom.' '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,' he explained. 'Over time the wind could gradually blow the sand and dust away and the top one would gradually settle onto the bottom one.' Dr Dorrian points out that wind-driven processes like this on Earth often produce remarkable and strange formations. Alternatively, these 'mushrooms' could be geological structures called concretions, which formed billions of years ago when there was liquid water on Mars. As water flows through sediment, it dissolves the minerals and rearranges them in a more compact form to leave behind a solid block. Since these are harder than the surrounding rock, they are often left standing above the surface. Just like the hoodoo rock spires of the American southwest, these structures often take on a mushroom-like shape as the wind carves away the softer bedrock to leave a thin 'stem'. Part of the reason that Curiosity didn't stop to take any more measurements, as Mr Waring suggests, is that these are common on the Martian surface. Additionally, Dr Dorrian points out that, even if there were life on Mars, the chances of a living organism being found on the Martian surface are extremely low. The atmospheric pressure at the Martian surface is roughly equivalent to that found 20 miles above the surface of Earth, meaning the atmosphere is very thin. This allows a constant stream of ultraviolet and particle radiation in the form of cosmic rays to bombard the surface. Dr Dorrian says: 'This unhealthy combination of radiation is well known to damage complex molecules like DNA and would quickly sterilise the surface where this image was taken.' As if that wasn't bad enough, Dr Dorrian notes that temperature above ground would make it impossible for any organism to survive. Temperatures swing from a comfortable 20°C (68°F) during the day to -100°C (-148°F) at night, well below the freezing point of water and far colder than anywhere on Earth. 'No known forms of life can simultaneously tolerate these extremes of temperatures, radiation levels, and low atmospheric pressure, including mushrooms,' says Dr Dorrian. 'If life does exist on Mars, it is more likely to be found below ground, such as in underground reserves of water, where it would be shielded from the harsh environment at the surface.' That means this photograph almost certainly shows a common and naturally occurring rock formation, rather than life growing in an impossibly harsh environment.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Mysterious 'flying saucer' in the Sahara Desert is discovered on Google Maps – as baffled viewers suggest it could be a crashed UFO
From a mysterious 'doorway' in the Antarctic to hidden symbols in the Gobi Desert, Google Maps has revealed some weird and wonderful secrets over the years. But this latest discovery might be one of the strangest yet. Keen-eyed internet sleuths have spotted what seems to be a 'flying saucer' buried in the Sahara Desert. According to some baffled viewers, the unusual structure could be a crashed UFO that has been buried for thousands of years. The mysterious object is located near the tiny town of Bordj Omar Driss, Algeria, deep within the Sahara Desert. UFO hunter Scott Waring, who made the strange discovery, told MailOnline: 'It's likely the UFO has been there for tens of thousands of years, predating recorded human history. 'I also want to note, that the CIA and other organizations will have people try to label any discoveries of UFOs on Google Earth Map as something else in order to manipulate and deceive the public from knowing the truth.' Unfortunately for these alien hunters, experts say there is a much simpler explanation. The odd structure was spotted on Google Maps at the coordinates 28°8'45.15'N 6°48'20.85'E. In a video sharing his findings, Mr Waring claims that the 'UFO' is buried 34.4 feet (10.5m) according to Google Earth Pro's elevation measuring tools. Mr Waring told MailOnline that, at the Sahara's sediment accumulation rate of 0.5 mm per year, the 'UFO' must have landed 21,000 years ago to be buried so deeply. He also points to the fact that the structure isn't present in early satellite images of the site, suggesting that it must have been 'excavated' recently. On social media, Mr Waring's surprising comments have found widespread support, as commenters rushed to share their excitement. One enthusiastic commenter wrote: 'I would love to know the whole story but this definitely looks like a crash site or something considering it popped up on the map out of nowhere.' 'I wonder whether some bodies have been found... This is so weird,' added another. While one conspiratorially minded commenter wrote: 'Take screen shots everyone, cause you know Google is going to make this disappear.' Adding fuel to the flames of speculation, Mr Waring adds: 'The UFO seems to have been torn open around the lower center dome. Possibly to enter the craft in order to loot it before government officials get hold of it.' However, the real explanation for this strange site is much more mundane. Nick Pope, former UFO investigator for the Ministry of Defence, told MailOnline: 'With the recent expansion in the capabilities of AI, it's increasingly difficult to ensure that images haven't been faked, or doctored. 'But even assuming the picture is genuine and not altered in any way, it's impossible to tell much from the image alone. 'There's no context, and applying the principle of Occam's Razor - that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one - this is more likely to be a circular building or structure of some sort than a crashed alien spacecraft.' And, thanks to the work of some online investigators, we actually know exactly what kind of building this is. The 'mysterious' structure is actually just the foundation for an onshore wind turbine. Before the tower is added, these huge reinforced concrete structures are dug deep into the ground which would explain why the structure appears to be below the surface. Seen side by side, aerial photographs of a confirmed wind turbine foundation (left) and the supposed UFO (right) show how similar the two are With a classic 'flying saucer' shape of a round body and central dome, it is easy to see how someone might mistake these structures for a UFO. But looking at aerial photographs of known wind turbines you can see that this Saharan structure is almost certainly the base of another wind turbine. In other satellite images of the location, this similarity is even clearer. Likewise, as UFO analyst and sceptic Mick West points out, there is another foundation just to the southwest where the tower of the wind turbine has already started construction. Algeria, where these were found, is currently undergoing a major investment in wind power, with the government aiming to produce 27 per cent of its electricity from renewable resources by 2035. The country also has some of the world's greatest potential for wind power with consistent wind speeds of up to eight metres per second in many regions. This makes it a lot more likely that there would be a wind turbine under construction than a secret, ancient UFO hidden beneath the desert. Unfortunately, UFO investigators say wild claims like these actually interfere with their search for extraterrestrial life. UFO researcher Philip Mantle, told MailOnline: 'The vast majority of UFO sighting reports including photos and video end up having a rational explanation. 'Then there is an amount that just doesn't have enough info to reach a conclusion. 'This leaves only a very small minority that may be left for serious examination. 'Photos like this are not to be taken seriously and rank alongside stories that Elvis is still alive and he lives with Lord Lucan.' WHAT DID BUZZ ALDRIN SAY ABOUT HIS 'UFO ENCOUNTER'? While UFO enthusiasts have long clung to Buzz Aldrin's story of a strange light appearing alongside his spacecraft in 1969, the Apollo 11 astronaut does not think what he saw was an alien. During a 2014 Q&A on Reddit, he explained: 'On Apollo 11 in route to the Moon, I observed a light out the window that appeared to be moving alongside us. There were many explanations of what that could be, other than another spacecraft from another country or another world - it was either the rocket we had separated from, or the 4 panels that moved away when we extracted the lander from the rocket and we were nose to nose with the two spacecraft. 'So in the close vicinity, moving away, were 4 panels. And i feel absolutely convinced that we were looking at the sun reflected off of one of these panels. Which one? I don't know. So technically, the definition could be "unidentified." 'We well understood exactly what that was. And when we returned, we debriefed and explained exactly what we had observed. 'And I felt that this had been distributed to the outside world, the outside audience, and apparently it wasn't, and so many years later, I had the time in an interview to disclose these observations, on another country's television network. And the UFO people in the United States were very very angry with me, that i had not given them the information. It was not an alien. Extraordinary observations require extraordinary evidence. 'That's what Carl Sagan said. There may be aliens in our Milky Way galaxy, and there are billions of other galaxies. The probability is almost CERTAIN that there is life somewhere in space. 'It was not that remarkable, that special, that unusual, that life here on earth evolved gradually, slowly, to where we are today.
