Trees on Mars?

I searched the site and didnt find this anywhere, so I dont know if people have seen this or not. I originally posted this on a thread which discusses the face on Mars, however, the trees themselves, are something to see if you havnt seen them, and I think they deserve attention and a thread of its own!!

Here ya go!

"Another controversial photo, shown at right, reveals much larger forms that look like spreading trees as seen from above. No less a personage than respected author Arthur C. Clarke opined that they resemble Earth's Banyan trees. He too noted that these forms appear to change with the seasons, growing with the warmth and increased sunlight of Mars's spring season, just as vegetation would. But NASA has likewise explained these shapes as some kind of freezing/defrosting phenomenon or a part of the "bizarre geology" of Mars."
the link to the picture refered to:
paranormal.about.com...

Or if you prefer the story:

paranormal.about.com...

www.space.com...

that photo really made me wonder what the heck is REALLY up there..

This is old news to me, I saw these after the MGS started mapping, but a lot of people might not have, and...if you have...you might wanna look again

Thread I originally posted this on:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

[Edited on 18-5-2004 by Darkblade71]

I felt somewhat skeptical about the pics as they were from paranormal.com. I mean nothing against them, but I would like to see a site with claims inside the scientific community. But, alas here is the same picture on space.com.

Link

I will check out NASA and see is they have said anything about this. Makes you wonder why they did not send a rover to that area to search for life on Mars....

[edit on 6/4/06 by JAK]

Odd....very very odd.....It looks more like algea bloom under a microscope, but this is a satelite photo....I don't know what to make of it and I think I'll foward it to my GeoPhysist friend of mine he'll definately be interested.

The pictures are very interesting but does nasa has anything to say about this? In my oppinion I think that before was life in earth it was life in Mars, I dont know is just a feeling.

[Edited on 18-5-2004 by marg6043]

The thing about the mars images is that the imagery taken by the satelite is suposed to have a max resolution of 5 meters per pixel. Those trees would have to have stems of at least 50 meters wide to display like that.

So, OR NASA is lying about the resolution they can take pictures at, or we need to find out what can of that size really display like this.

Also concider that Mars has weaker gravity, so things would grow larger on Mars?

Could explain the size I think.

Theres a lot to Mars, its a fasinating world. We are just starting to learn how cool it is or at least was earlier...still cool if you ask me. A lot to concider with that planet. Everything was there at one point for life it seems. Photos like this sort of suggest that there might very well be life there still. If nothing else, those trees make you wonder...
And thats my goal, to make people question what we really know...or think we do.
For those who havnt seen these photos, they will probibly have to look a few times, then...research.
There is no doubt these are real pics, there are TONS of pics like this from MGS. Mars has all kinds of wierd things on it that seem to suggest life. Those trees are a great example, and with all the photos that MGS has taken, people havnt even seen them all yet. I've seen pictures that look like lakes, and trees and all kinds of stuff...and NASAs comments on a lot of them are...well...they could be this or that but nothing living!!....and in the end...They just dont know....and niether do I...but it sure does look like trees to me...even have fractal patterns to them like most plants do on earth.

Mars is a super cool place to be exploring!!


[Edited on 18-5-2004 by Darkblade71]

as long as it is not on the icecaps of mars some oxidicing of rocks could happen or...moss related items
(except Kate,ofcourse) growing by season the slightest involved in sandstorms.

5

[edit on 2004-7-2 by Teknik]

The bottom line here is that the current satellites around mars do not have the optical power to resolve objects that small at that resolution. The mars rover lander was only a handful of pixels, using the most powerful camera orbiting mars.

They are not trees.

They should have sent the rover to that location.
Looks a lot more interesting than the area they landed it.

Originally posted by Zzub
The bottom line here is that the current satellites around mars do not have the optical power to resolve objects that small at that resolution. The mars rover lander was only a handful of pixels, using the most powerful camera orbiting mars.

They are not trees.

Things may be bigger on Mars. I understand your point, at the resolution that the MGS takes photos, they would have to be some HUGE trees, but I can't state that they are or are not.

People very quickly dismiss things like this, but consider the fact that there have been observed changes in objects like this thru the seasons, on the one hand, it could be ice melt, on the other hand, it could be much like the seasons on earth. We won't know till we get much better pictures of structures like these, but it does offer a hint of something.

You state that they are not trees, but...can you back that up?



You don't have to, that was silly of me, cause, you can't just like I can't back up that they are trees. But you can try if you want, would love to read it.

Originally posted by Darkblade71
You state that they are not trees, but...can you back that up?

Nope, you are entirely right. There could be trees on mars, which are hundreds of feet across. I have no proof either way. I'd be really happy if there were trees on Mars, I really would. But, assuming they are trees, they have some pretty harsh conditions to put up with.

They would have to be so large to compensate for the extremely thin atmosphere. (1/150th of Earths). I don't think this would be a problem except for water spontaniously boiling away at pressure that low.

They'd have to have some manner of protecting themselves, as the UV light coming through the thin atmosphere of mars is strong enough to sterilize all life as we understand it.

They would have to be quite tough too, at that size, the dust devils that rage across the ground would give them a good workout.

There isn't any rain on mars, so they would have to get all thier moisture from the soil, which is handy, because that's the only place the water is thought to exist.

Carbon dioxide makes up nearly all the atmosphere, so the life on the planet is not respiring enough to show up in a test of the atmoshpere.

The extreme temperatures would be an interesting challenge. How would a plant move nutrients around if the ambient temperature is that low? Water wouldn't be an option unless it was generating heat somehow.

I can not rule these things out, but I'm inclined to think that they are probably not trees.

You are right though, when all's said and done, I can not rule it out (and would love for it to be so)

Those are all great points Zzub! If they are trees, they would have to be pretty darn tough and nothing like anything we know of currently.

But also consider that life on earth, is pretty resilient. (sp)
We have life here (on earth) in places where it just should not be able to live by all current theories and understanding. yet, it does, near vents on the ocean floor, or deep in the ice shelfs.
We are just starting to realize that life seems to be everywhere we look on earth...in every dirrection, life...so....
I dont think its all that far fetched of an idea.
I can't wait to see what the next 20 years holds in reguards to Mars.

I think we might just be surprise, well some of us, some already expect it. I do, I fully believe there was, and possibly is still life on the red planet.


*insert Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds Music intro here*


[Edited on 19-5-2004 by Darkblade71]

I too think there is life on Mars. My personal theory is that there has to be something, and the biggest thing my mind can imagine still existing on mars is some large, underground funghi.

I don't think there's life on the surface any more. I think there could have at least been the building blocks of life, possibly even bacteria, maybe more on the surface before the atmosphere slipped away.

I so hope I'm wrong. I am basing my opions on all the existing scientific knowledge that I am aware of. We are only now in a position where there's adequate stools floating around Mars, with enough texhnology to carry out some real investigations. Perhaps we will solve some of the riddles that the Mars Express. Getting the results of the sub-surface mineralogical composition will be interesting. The Mars Express has still got lots of work to do, so the picture is still only part revealed to us.

Great big mushrooms...LOL
Thats a great mental picture.

I am in agreement. I think there was life, at some point, and as it stands now, its a pretty harsh place so most likely, not anymore on the surface....but that is a darn freaky picture none the less, and makes me ponder that it just might be possible. There are some other pictures as well on the links I supplied showing what could be plant life, and although I stop short of believing in intelligent life was once there, hey, ya never know. My mom used to always joke she was from Mars..LOL

We certainly need to know more. I wish they would fund a lot more money into NASA. But I guess all things in thier own time and the rovers are awesome. At least we gone something running around up there now. Well, 2 somethings.

Sometimes I wonder though, maybe this is just a subtle way to break us into the reality of life everywhere...maybe we do it unconciously so as to not smash the majorities mental picture of who we are.

so many things to think about...if you let your mind run wild.

I have always found this subject interesting. I remember seeing these pics around a year or so back. I do believe that it is very feasable that there would be trees that could grow to be that big. I also agree with the comment about things growing bigger in lower gravity. I found this comment about plants growing in low gravity, "...Growing from all angles/ directions could potentially quadruple the amount of potential growing space..." It states that with lower gravity the plant has less resistance, therefore it grows out and wide. I also reseasrched a bit on big trees here on earth and found this about Sequoias "...Heights of 90 metres (300 feet) and diameters of 9 m (30 feet) are common. Their ages usually range from 2,000 to 3,000 years...". Other species like cypress in Mexico are really wide simular to what may be in the photos of Mars.

Here's a link to pics of the cypress
www.mexconnect.com...

Makes you wander, still doesn't proove anything one way or the other. We won't know that until we go there for ourselves and find out. Like that will ever happen.

GriBiT

It's interesting to think that those might be trees.

First, to get the groundwater, the trees would have to have some really deep roots, which in turn leads to a greater stability, helping protect them from the harsh storms.

Second, (Time to bring in some drug expiriences, lol) Marijuana plants grown at high altitudes commonly have leaves turn purple. This (I'll have to doublecheck this) is from a couple things: thin air (can't remember how this works... maybe someone here is a horticulturist?), more UV radiation (if you are seeing purple, that is the light that ISN"T getting absorbed, but rather reflected. This is part of how a plant can reduce UV intake). So, since Mars has alot less atmosphere and higher UV radiation, any plant life growing there would probably be purplish.

I imagine that the leaves of these trees are retractable. We all know that a tube is stronger than a solid, and I believe that leaves would either be similar to a coniferous tree here on Earth, or similar to some of the life in the ocean (the ones who pull back into tubes). I'd have to say that the tube one would be more common. It would enable the tree to extend a fern-like (high surface area) leaf to collect CO2, and withdrawl when a storm starts.

Possible, also, if there are trees on mars, they could very well have more than one trunk. Obviously these trees would need some kind of stability, and it's easier to stand on a table than a pogo-stick.

Well, I think I'm done thinking aloud on this one.... it's starting to get away from simple scientific pondering.

They look like trees to me.......either that or giant sponge amoiba (spellcheck?) thingies..........Who is to KNOW there is NOT ground water on Mars till SOMEBODY gets there bitts up there????

These LOOK LIKE TREES 2 me.........yup

I just heard an interesting tid-bit about mars that you may or may not know, but there are places on mars where you wouldn't even need a space suit(to survive) just an air supply cuz the temperature is earthlike(15c - 30c). EDIT: Periodically that is, Mars varies in Temp very widely it seems...

[Edited on 20-5-2004 by sardion2000]

Keep in mind that these could be petrified trees. Long dead shells of past trees.Or an ancient coral reef. Anything is possible.