Did NASA Ignore Potential Fossils Found on Mars?
Did NASA Ignore Potential Fossils Found on Mars?
"Move on, Nothing To See Here..."
With NASA avoiding a genuine search for life on Mars by not going anywhere near its liquid water, how else might they discover evidence of life on the Red Planet? Well, how about fossils! The discovery of fossils on Mars would present a fascinating window into Martian history, as well as declare once and for all, that life exists elsewhere in the universe and not just on the Earth.
Given how life on our own planet persists and multiplies with extraordinary stubbornness and tenacity, astrobiologists expect life to be theoretically abundant throughout at least our own galaxy, where the fundamental chemical elements appear everywhere. But we need the physical evidence as well as the theory, and to that end the Planet Mars stands before us as the testing ground.
NASA’s Rovers are in the prime seat to discover any fossils protruding from the barren ground, or sealed within rocks exposed by its cutting tools. But do the Martian conditions make finding fossils easier, or more difficult? The planet has been a lifeless wasteland for at least 2 billion years, as the theory goes, and so it is expected that any fossils from that time, would by now have been ground to dust by sand-blasted winds.
Yet, we might still hope that bones remain just beneath the surface, waiting their turn to be exposed by erosion. But alas, skeletons of ancient Martian animals are not to be expected, for the scientific consensus agrees that complex life did not get the chance to evolve on Mars - hence why the search for Martian life is solely focussed on primitive life, such as bacteria.
But have there been any discoveries that challenge this presumption that only fossilised remains of ancient bacteria, have any chance of ever being discovered on Mars?
Well, much may come to surprise us concerning the Red Planet.
A Fossilised Thigh Bone in Gale crater?
Without a shadow of doubt, we all know that rocks come in all shapes and sizes, and with multiple billions of examples existing on both planets, every shape possible will have been formed one way or another by geological erosion. So, when the Curiosity Mars Rover took a photo of this odd-shaped example in 2014, in Gale Crater, it was predictably explained away as “just another rock…” as you would expect.
Of course, that is the expectation. But lets consider why we have sent a spacecraft millions of miles all the way to Mars and at great expense. It is to discover things and to learn what is possible. Therefore, the fact that it “looks like” a thigh bone - very similar to a bison thigh bone as shown - should, you would think, provoke at least some ‘curiosity’ from those running the mission and the science cameras.
“Hey, what if it’s a fossil? Is that possible?”
“No, it’s not. There were never any large animals on Mars.”
“Should we at least take a look, flip it over, take a sample? I mean it does look a little weird.”
“No, nothing to see here. A waste of mission time. Keep moving. Drive on.”
So, let’s just pass up the opportunity to possibly overturn what is understood and believed about Mars. To possibly shatter our preconceptions entirely about the mysterious planet’s history.
No, not interested in that today, or tomorrow. Don’t look, don’t speculate, and above all, don’t study.
Something doesn’t add up.
But a much stranger story preceded this one.
NASA Intentionally Grinds a Potential Martian Crinoid Fossil to Dust
In 2004, researcher and author, Richard Hoagland raised the case that NASA's Opportunity Rover, deliberately destroyed a potential fossil [1], an allegation subsequently supported by former NASA scientist and palaeontologist, Professor Richard Hoover in a video interview in 2014, who said [2]:
"Here you have a possible fossil of a very interesting organism in a rock on Mars. And 3 hours and a half after that photograph was done, that rock was destroyed by the rock abrasion tool, the area where the possible fossil was located.”
Hoover later asked NASA mission scientist David McKay why this was done, and was told:
“He said it was to look at the inside, looking for carbon. Well, the problem is, anybody who does much in the field of palaeontology, knows that you don't have to find carbon to find a fossil ... if a palaeontologist finds on Earth a rock containing an interesting fossil, they collect it. You would never have a palaeontologist say, "Gee that may represent a new genus of life on Earth, where's my rock hammer, I want to smash that to bits!"
So in this case, possible evidence of ancient life on Mars - a fossil of a complex organism - was deliberately obliterated making further study of it impossible.
Yet another very odd decision indeed.
Potential Signs of Microfossils Dismissed
Geobiologist Nora Noffke, was also certain she had identified microfossils in Gale Crater [3], in an area dubbed ‘Gillespie Lake’. Around 3.5 billion years ago, this location was part of a lake-stream confluence where microbial life may have been present, and Noffke believed she had recognised structures that indicated the fossilised signature of ancient microbial life on the Red Planet.
Curiosity scientists Chris McKay and Ashwin Vasavada, however, were unpersuaded by her hypothesis that microbial life was the cause, believing that unremarkable abiotic factors offered a better explanation - non-living environmental conditions such as chemistry in the soil and effects from the climate.
Interestingly, the Curiosity Science Team later decided to drill a hole into some fine-grained mudstone in a nearby area called ‘Yellowknife Bay’ where they subsequently found organics - which confirmed that the area in which Nora Noffke said she saw evidence of microfossils, could indeed have supported microbial life!
But despite this important discovery, the geobiologist was not permitted to use science instruments on the Curiosity Rover to test her hypothesis.
NASA Rover Wheel Almost Crushes Potential Fossil!
In January, 2014, the wheel of the Curiosity Rover almost ran over another possible fossil. This strange looking object was first presented to a Facebook Mars image analysis group, by its discoverer, Michael Ivey.
Although the image is not sharp enough to confirm any details, when I saw this rock that appeared to have a very pronounced organic fossil-like shape to it, I followed a hunch and went in search of a similar-shaped Earth fossil - and found a photo of what was called an "Uncurled Ammonite"!
Is it just another odd-shaped rock? Of course, its much more likely to be just that. I'm not a palaeontologist, so I’m not qualified to judge. I just think that the resemblance to this ammonite fossil from Earth, was certainly worth NASA stopping the Rover to have it checked out. But once again they decided not to.
Well, today, I’ve presented four occasions where potential fossils could have been examined on Mars - and in all four, the opportunity to do so was declined by NASA scientists. So on the basis of that, I believe we are entitled to ask the following question:
“Why does NASA tell the public they are spending billions to search for life on Mars, and yet, when potential evidence for that life appears on their expensive images, they just ignore it and command the Rover to keep going?”
M J Craig
Sources:
Pic. 1: “Fossils from Earth compared with possible fossils found on the Planet Mars”
Image sources: See resources below for links
Pic.2: “Fossilised Bone in Gale Crater?”
NASA image source: https://mars.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/msss/00719/mcam/0719MR0030550060402769E01_DXXX.jpg
Pic.3: “Crinoid Fossil?”
NASA image source: https://mars.nasa.gov/mer/gallery/all/opportunity_m034.html
Pic. 4: “Rock Slab at Gillespie Lake: Ancient Site of Microfossils?”
NASA image source: https://mars.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/msss/00126/mcam/0126MR0007820030200790E01_DXXX.jpg
Pic.5: "Ammonite Fossil on Mars?"
NASA image source: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/msss/00518/mhli/0518MH0261000000E1_DXXX.jpg
[1] Enterprise Mission article by Richard C. Hoagland on the crinoid controversy: http://www.enterprisemissions.com/_articles/03-08-2004/crinoid_cover-up.htm
[2] Open Minds video interview with Prof. Richard Hoover:
[3] Space.com article about Nora Noffke’s microfossil hypothesis: http://www.space.com/28218-mars-rover-curiosity-signs-life.html