There's a small chance this is one of the biggest findings in scientific history: turns out there's things that look surprisingly like tiny fungal puffballs on Mars, and they seem to grow.
Also, there seems to be something that looks like fungal growths on on rovers. Which as the authors' point out, could easily be contamination from earth. Even that would be a finding with huge implications: life growing on another planet. Sure, life we introduced. But still!
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351252619_Fungi_on_Mars_Evidence_of_Growth_and_Behavior_From_Sequential_Images
@pete @June @raye ah dang Mars mushrooms turns out to be nonsense : https://science.slashdot.org/story/21/05/09/0031246/mushrooms-on-mars-is-a-hoax-stop-believing-hacks
the points about blowing sand and speed of growth in that atmosphere are good ones, regardless of the author's credibility
I want to belieeeeeeeve tho
any reason why these wouldn't be noticed by now, assuming they have been there for a very long time?
@mithrandir They're very small, and they have been noticed for awhile. Scientists have been arguing about what they might be for some time, with many thinking they were just mineral deposits (there's no equipment on any of the Mara rovers that can directly measure the composition of these 2mm balls iiuc).
@pete well, either that or there is a wind moving the dark sand...
@pete so still no alien : (
https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/a36356445/mushrooms-on-mars-nasa-photos-life-on-mars/