In an exciting new image, a NASA super-camera has picked up what looks like an etching of an animal face on the surface of Mars. People have long been fascinated by the prospect of life on other planets, and the idea of an intelligent species on a nearby planet is downright tantalizing for most fans of science fiction.
When space fans online saw the new NASA image, many suddenly felt the rush of excitement that they might be looking at evidence of life on Mars. So, is the beastly visage on the surface of Mars a harbinger of an intelligent species?
Nah, not really.
Unbearably Familiar
The image picked up by the NASA High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on the Mars orbiter last month appears to show a relief carving of a bear on the surface of the Red Planet. The image is convincing enough that many space enthusiasts online found it hard to believe this is a naturally-occurring element of the planet’s topography.
However, this crater is almost assuredly something that has occurred naturally. Scientists in Arizona who analyzed the image found it to be exciting, but not because it seems to suggest the presence of alien life. Instead, they just found it to be a fun oddity on the surface of the planet. “Maybe the nose is a volcanic or mud vent and the deposit could be lava or mud flows?” they suggested. In a cheeky tag, they noted: “Maybe just grin and bear it.”
Faces in the Chaos
Humans possess pattern-seeking brains. It’s an important aspect of our psychology that helped our ancestors survive in the wilderness. Their ability to discern the faces of predators or rival humans in the dense forests they called home served them well and helped them survive to adulthood. Now, modern humans have inherited that powerful ability to detect faces from even the most chaotic of visual stimuli.
As such, we’re really good at seeing faces wherever we look. Some people look at the surface of the moon and somehow see a man’s face across the pockmarked surface. Others see a crater on Mars and assume it’s supposed to be a bear. While the crater is certainly an intriguing oddity, it’s nothing more than an interesting collection of shadows and long-dormant volcanic flows that have settled into a shape that just so happens to remind humans millions of miles away of the shape of a bear’s face!
