A peculiar new paper, published in a little-known scientific journal, has the tabloids stirred up about the possibility of life on Mars. According to this paper, an international team of scientists are now claiming to have found evidence of 'mushrooms' growing on the surface of the Red Planet. The 'evidence' is primarily based on images, taken by NASA's Curiosity and Opportunity rovers, which capture a birds-eye-view of what look like, well, mushrooms. (NASA) The pictures have the internet freaking out, as stories like this usually do, but some folks online remain justifiably skeptical. It's often said that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but you can partially judge a scientific paper by its journal. Just one glance at the Journal of Astrobiology and Space Science website, and it's pretty clear to see that this isn't a sophisticated outlet for high-impact science. On its website, the journal seeks research papers on topics like "Protecting Earth From Martian Organisms" so that it can present "all points of view" on the biology of Mars. In regards to the mushroom paper - mysteriously entitled "Evidence of Life on Mars?" - the editorial board claims that it recognised the "controversial implications", and so it had six independent scientists and eight senior editors peer review it. Three of these reviewers rejected the paper outright, and one editor was so vehemently opposed to the paper, that he apparently still wanted to get rid of it even after majority approval. Nevertheless, the paper was ultimately published and the journal's press release is unusually kind, asking simply, "Why the opposition to publishing evidence?". It also alludes to religious motivations as a source of such "irrational opposition". But don't be fooled by this seemingly harmless question. This paper is not jam-packed with irrefutable evidence and watertight reasoning. Despite admitting that "similarities in morphology are not proof of life" and that their evidence is "circumstantial and unverified", the authors claim that the answer to their paper's title is a "resounding yes". "We admit," says co-author Regina Dass, a mycologist at Pondicherry University in India, "we don't have a smoking gun. No photos of cells or cellular structure. There is no definitive proof, only a lot of evidence which shouts: Biology." (In a particularly ironic side note, Dass answered a question on Research Gate recently by warning: "It is not a very good idea to decide just by observing macromorphological features.") While NASA itself hasn't responded to these new claims, its scientists have already researched the phenomenon you can see in the photo above. Instead of mushrooms, NASA calls them 'blueberries', but unlike the authors of this new paper, no one at the space agency actually thinks these tiny spheres are a sign of life, let alone a growing fruit or vegetable. In 2004, the Opportunity rover discovered millions of these 'blueberries', and upon analysis they were determined to be composed of the iron oxide, hematite. About three centimetres across (1.2 inches), these balls of solidified hematite were unlike anything ever seen on Mars before. Embedded in the Martian rock, like blueberries in a muffin, NASA explains that these spheres of hematite were solidified in the presence of water and then slowly released by erosion. "We are not disagreeing with NASA. NASA has some of the greatest scientists and engineers in the world," says co-author Vincenzo Rizzo, a biogeologist working for the National Research Council. "However, hematite is also a product of biological activity. Just as stromatolites are fashioned together via the action of cyanobacteria, fungi and bacteria also help to cement terrestrial hematite together. We should expect that the same biological processes helped fashion hematite on Mars." Whatever the authors might say, it certainly seems as though they do not see eye-to-eye with the world's leading experts. Hence, many on Reddit have been quick to dismiss the study, saying it appears to be "vanity" published, without many standards at all. One user, by the name of Zeeblecroid, was brutally succinct in their criticism: "The journal and article are both garbage. There's a community of self-proclaimed astrobiologists who use the same crackpot tricks (mostly misrepresenting mundane photos of basic geological features as hard evidence of life) and have been for decades. They've been pounding that drum since at least the mid-1990s." The truth is, humans are notoriously irrational when it comes to seeing Mars as it truly is. In 2014, NASA was actually sued by a self-proclaimed "astrobiologist" for not investigating what he clearly saw as a mushroom-like fungus on the surface of Mars. It turned out to be nothing more than a rock. By the looks of things, this newest paper is just another thump on the same hollow notion. The paper was published in the Journal of Astrobiology and Space Science.<doc-sep>The finding, along with the pictures themselves, has been subjected to an extensive peer review, and the majority of researchers appear to support the hypothesis. An array of new snapshots purporting to sport “Martian mushrooms” have assured scientists that there is life on the Red Planet, with the 15 images by NASA’s Curiosity Rover becoming central in a new study published in the Journal of Astrobiology. The photos from the two-year mission are said to show the potential life forms in the making, as they emerge from Mars’s red sand dunes – from what looks like algae to mushroom and lichen. According to Dr Regina Dass, a microbiologist from Pondicherry University in India, no non-living force, known to humans, could have shown the obvious growth in size and volume “in just three days”. "There are no geological or other abiogenic forces on Earth which can produce sedimentary structures, by the hundreds, which have mushroom shapes, stems, stalks and shed what looks like spores on the surrounding surface”, she was quoted by The Express as saying. Meanwhile, NASA hasn’t yet commented on the research, although the majority of experts that engaged in a peer review tend to agree with the hypothesis. Three of six independent scientists and eight senior editors, who subjected the report to scrutiny, rejected the evidence outright, saying the specimens featured in the images are not biological ones, but more likely hematite, a form of iron oxide. The journal’s official position reads that “evidence is not proof and there is no proof of life on Mars”, adding that “abiogenic explanations for this evidence can't be ruled out”. The speculation arrived against the backdrop of Exomars, a joint mission by the European Space Agency and Russian space corporation Roscosmos, seeking to find evidence of life on Mars. First launched in 2003, it earlier unveiled images that showed “clear signs” of past water activity on the surface of our smaller, redder neighbour. READ MORE: Aliens? Mock-up Mars Rover Finds Strange Martian-Like Microbes in Chilean Desert In a study published in the Journal “Geophysical Research: Planets, Mars Express” researchers explored 24 deep, enclosed craters in Mars’ northern hemisphere and claim to have found the first geological evidence of an intertwined water system, apparently former lakes, deep beneath the Martian surface. In five of the 24 craters, scientists detected an array of clays, carbonates, and silicates, which are closely linked to the emergence of life on Earth and which essentially prop up the theory that Mars, similarly, had the necessary components for life at some point in the past.<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks People have been preoccupied with finding life on Mars for hundreds of years, ever since Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli turned his telescope to the red Planet, making him the first man to map Mars. Schiaparelli observed dark areas, which he presumed to be seas, connected by linear features hundreds of kilometres long, he called “canals.” The findings fired the public’s imagination, triggering an obsession that has lingered ever-since. Fifteen specimens were photographed by NASA growing out of the ground in just three days What appears to be algae, lichens and "Martian mushrooms" have all been photographed by the NASA Opportunity and Curiosity Mars rovers. And photos of 15 mushroom-shaped specimens purport to show them growing and even emerging from beneath the red sands of Mars. Dr Regina Dass, of the Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, India, the study's co-author said: "There are no geological or other abiogenic forces on Earth which can produce sedimentary structures, by the hundreds, which have mushroom shapes, stems, stalks, and shed what looks like spores on the surrounding surface. “In fact, fifteen specimens were photographed by NASA growing out of the ground in just three days." READ MORE: Evidence of mystery Planet Nine bigger than Earth GROWS<doc-sep>A decade and a half ago, three teams of scientists reported that they had detected methane in the Martian atmosphere. Two used observations from Earth, and the third used data from Mars Express. All of the measurements were at the edge of the instruments’ capabilities. Two years later, the methane seemed to have disappeared. If that finding was accurate, it suggested not only that something was creating methane on Mars, but that something else was quickly destroying it. The Curiosity mission initially cast more doubt on the methane claims, as it detected very little of the gas, about 0.7 parts per billion. Then in 2013, the levels jumped by a factor of 10. The following January, levels fell back to below 1 part per billion. The methane disappeared so quickly, and the usual levels are so low, that scientists are now trying to explain how methane could have been destroyed so quickly. In the new research, the scientists looked at passes that Mars Express made over Gale Crater during the first 20 months of Curiosity’s mission. For all but one of the orbiter’s observations, no methane was detected. But on June 16, 2013, the instrument measured about 15 parts per billion of methane. A day earlier, Curiosity had also measured elevated methane. “It reaffirms the hypothesis that Mars is presently active,” said Sushil Atreya, a planetary scientist at the University of Michigan and a member of the Curiosity science team. The Mars Express findings also point to a possible source of the methane, about 300 miles east of Gale. In that region, ice must exist just below the surface. “That methane could be released episodically along faults that break through the permafrost due to partial melting of ice,” Dr. Giuranna said. If true, that could be a tempting site for a future spacecraft to untangle the methane mystery. Dr. Atreya is less certain of that conclusion, which involves assumptions about Martian weather. The Curiosity scientists thought the methane originated within Gale, to the north of the rover.<doc-sep>
They do look a bit like mushrooms to be fair (NASA) A rather odd scientific study has suggested that a NASA rover caught a glimpse of something truly weird… mushrooms on Mars. The study, published in the Journal of Astrobiology and Space Science, has made headlines around the world, with a claim that bulbous objects on the surface which might be puffballs. But is this really our first evidence of life on Mars? Sadly, it probably isn’t. Many observers are very suspicious about the study, the way it’s written, and the journal itself. NASA has its own theory about the lumps (and it’s not that they’re space fungi). Read more Who will be the next PM? These are the favourites to replace Theresa May Shopworker ‘stabbed to death’ as six people knifed overnight across London Miracle postman ‘died for 21 minutes’ and came back to life – on his way to the morgue Researcher Dr Regina Dass told The Express, There are no geological or other abiogenic forces on Earth which can produce sedimentary structures, by the hundreds, which have mushroom shapes, stems, stalks, and shed what looks like spores on the surrounding surface. ‘In fact, fifteen specimens were photographed by NASA growing out of the ground in just three days.’ But NASA has dismissed the claims, saying the bulbous shapes are a mineral, haematite. Reddit commenters quickly dismissed the study, saying it appeared to be ‘vanity published. One user, Zeeblecroid, said, ‘The journal and article are both garbage. There’s a community of self-proclaimed astrobiologists who use the same crackpot tricks (mostly misrepresenting mundane photos of basic geological features as hard evidence of life) and have been for decades. They’ve been pounding that drum since at least the mid-1990s.’ The researchers also seem to backpedal on their claims in the study, saying, ‘Nevertheless, much of the evidence remains circumstantial and unverified, and the possibility of life on Mars remains an open question.’ ‘Although organisms can survive in space or in simulated Mars-like environments, there is no proof they can flourish on Mars. It is also very difficult to distinguish, with a high level of confidence, between what may be living organisms vs sedimentary structures. Similarities in morphology are not proof. —Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK—