Not too long ago, the Spirit Mars rover beamed back to Earth an interesting image. From the robot's perspective, it looked an awful lot like a humanoid statue, which of course got the crackpots (the same ones who ramble on about the "face on Mars") claiming that it was proof of intelligent life on Mars.
Well, good ol' science has solved the mystery. Much like the heralded Cydonia face, the "statue" was nothing more than a rock eroded by the wind into something that looks vaguely human. It's an interesting example of equating "intelligent" life with human life. One of the simplest tests you can do is ask yourself, "If this were really a statue on Mars, why the hell would it look like one of us?" Lesson learned: don't look for us in space, because you won't find anything past this blue marble.
MSNBC space science blogger Alan Boyle has the story.
Friday, January 25, 2008
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