| CRUSTACEA:
the shores of Mars |
| "Scientists
have studied the life history of animals, part of a field called
development, for many decades. Other scientists have studied how life
arose and evolved on Earth. But for the first time since the early part of
this century, the two fields are coming together, in a new discipline
called by its practitioners "evo devo," short for evolutionary
developmental biology.
Rudolf A. Raff, professor of biology at
Indiana University and a leader in evo devo, said the marriage of the two
fields, along with the recent explosion in genetics, could tell us
something about what a real alien might be like."
Is there anything that we can learn that
would allow you to make any predictions about life elsewhere? I think
there is, even if the genetic systems aren't the same. There are going to
be rules that you suspect are going to apply across life in many places.
Some of those are based deep in chemistry. But at the other end, you might
suspect that a lot of life history features are going to be the same. I
think that there may be lessons that we learn that are not strictly
earthbound in any sense." - (Stephen
Hart NASA's Astrobiology Institute - space.com article on 28 March
2001)
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This Australian sea urchin larva (image on
right) is one organism studied for clues to what aliens might be like.
After several weeks of feeding, this will metamorphose into a juvenile sea
urchin. Credit: Rudolf A. Raff |
"
the first issue is to determine whether [eventual forms of life ]
had an origin independent of terrestrial life. On Mars, for example, we
can imagine that interplanetary exchange had occurred and that Martian and
terrestrial life might have a common ancestor. If it doesn't, then the
major scientific questions involve determining whether there are
fundamentally different solutions to the issues of storing energy (ATP on
Earth), reproduction and passing on genetic information (the structure of
DNA and RNA) and catalyzing chemical reactions (enzymes).
Of course the other, perhaps most important, issue that we would address
is the uniqueness of life on Earth. Having even a single example of an
independent origin of life would have philosophical consequences on par
with the recognition that the Earth goes around the Sun rather than vice
versa and that life on Earth has evolved through natural selection from a
common ancestor. Knowing of such life would help us to question the
underlying issues of who we are as a species and a civilization and, in
effect, what it means to be living and what it means to be human"
- Bruce Jakosky-
space.com article on 22 April 2001 |
| All
the pictures are taken from original NASA
MOC images at Malin
Space Systems or other official sources: check yourself using the links
provided |
| Image preview |
Image explanation
(click
on the images to see an enlargement) |
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M0702589 - In this fragment of a
MOC image we can see clearly that the
supposed "craters" are in fact something else; they are "lairs"
or more likely part of crustaceous-like form of life. No other explanation
is possible here. Images are clear and crispy, wheater conditions ideal
and we have a huge enlargement even showing one of this creatures face-to-face.
For a discussion about craters vs. lairs check
this page
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You don't see any
resemblance in these pictures? Click here |
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More than an "object"
this resembles a mollusc, except for the presence of some kind o tail with
extremities that could be seen as "arms" or "fingers".
This object can not be explained in other ways than a form of life. Is our
first find, and as discoverer we called "Gedeone" (pl. "Gedeons")
Also visit the Mars
Zoo section
Other pictures are
visible here and what we think is one of them in motion
is visible here
Another intresting section is Mollusca
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M1001553 - On the climb of this hill
we see another object supsect: we
found many of these, and in my opinion this is a form of life, that lives
gripping to some kind rocks or terraine: there are may pictures of
this kind, but this one is the best. We called this form of life
"Mussel" (Pl. "Mussels")- Bent image (40° on left)
Also visit the Mars
Zoo section where all candidate pictures are grouped togheter
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This other enlargement, taken from another MOC image,
shows a group of Mussels |
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In this picture we see something that seems a crater, but
when enlarged shows clear signs of artificiality. Inside we see something
like an enrolled snake. We think it's a lair for another form of life we
identified as "naked snail" |
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This could be a
sample of the same kind, seen in another posture, or a complete different
form of life. NASA images is M1002266 |
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In
these holes we can see other samples resembling crustaces. It's noticeable
the presence of different samples at different stage of growth.
Also note the one on the right which has
legs (see the enlargement).
Also visit the Mars
Zoo section
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This object seems
not natural; possibly a form of life we called "Toad". There are
more clear pictures we think shows objects of the same kind. This image's
been taken nearly vertical. |
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These, grasping to
the rocks of this creek are similar to the object of the image above,
nested into a irregularly shaped hole, confirming it's not a natural form.
Whe classified thede as "Toads" despite the name is not so
appropriate. Slightly bent image (40° on left) |
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This object shows
another intresting feature: a sort of web or another kind of cover lyng
over this lair; inside we see two objects we couldn't classify yet,
because this is the only image we have of them. As usual they don't look
like artifacts or natural geleogical forms. We call this picture "Crysalid".
This "web" covering the lair (or
hole) is found on other images too. Probably has the function of a
shelter.
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This huge
enlargement show a portion of an image 750 meters wide. It's clearly
visible the "nose" (or front part) of a "gedeone", one
of the most common form of life so far. The image has been taken nearly
vertical.
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| The black and white
picture on the right is the original NASA image: the complete view can be found at
m0705789
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On the right side of
this image is shown the left-half portion of a new candidate for a form of
life: we called it round-shell. Please notice on the upper right corner
the presence of tre Mussels, and a hole covered from a "web" in
the lower center of the image.
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This 450%
enlargement of M1102611
image shows the same objects as M0702589
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M1102611 - It's evident that the
rock at center of this image is very similar to the one shown in "Arago"
image. Even the hole (or the "lair" exit) is in the same
position. I suspect the rock to be "artificial", a recovery or a
lair for Arago-like life forms.
Compare the M1102611
(on left) with the M1203390 (on right).
They have many features in common:a rock with a relief on the top, a kind
of hole and many "shell-like" objects in the surroundings.
Also visit the Mars
Zoo section
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