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Oxytropidoceras

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Could things that look like fossils trick us

thinking there was once life on Mars?

If you want to believe, fake Martian fossils 

might convince you (but they're just rock formations).

By Elizabeth Rayne, SYFY, November 30, 20221


McMahon, S. and Cosmidis, J., 2021. False

biosignatures on Mars: anticipating ambiguity.

Journal of the Geological Society.

 

An Entomologist Claims That Mars Is Covered in

Bug-Shaped Things, And He Has 'Proof'

 

Yours,

 

Paul H.

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18 hours ago, Oxytropidoceras said:

An Entomologist Claims That Mars Is Covered in

Bug-Shaped Things, And He Has 'Proof'

Ugh! We have enough pareidolia here on Earth. Now we're branching out to see things that aren't there on other planets. :shakehead:

 

Experience in looking at bugs for decades have definitely honed the pattern matching parts of his brain to leave him susceptible to seeing bug-like shapes in these off-planet photos.

 

I think a class in pareidolia (or at least a good chapter in a textbook) would not be unwise for those getting degrees in the sciences. We need to understand our bias to recognize patterns even when they do not represent what they can trick our brains to believe we are seeing.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

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1 hour ago, digit said:

Ugh! We have enough pareidolia here on Earth. Now we're branching out to see things that aren't there on other planets. :shakehead:

 

Experience in looking at bugs for decades have definitely honed the pattern matching parts of his brain to leave him susceptible to seeing bug-like shapes in these off-planet photos.

 

I think a class in pareidolia (or at least a good chapter in a textbook) would not be unwise for those getting degrees in the sciences. We need to understand our bias to recognize patterns even when they do not represent what they can trick our brains to believe we are seeing.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

Did you click the link and see the images that describe the parts of the rock? I could totally see something like that posted here. I had not heard of pareidolia before I joined TFF, and now, I really do believe it is something that should be taught more.

“If fossils are not "boggling" your mind then you are simply not doing it right” -Ken (digit)

"No fossil is garbage, it´s just not completely preserved” -Franz (FranzBernhard)

"With hammer in hand, the open horizon of time, and dear friends by my side, what can we not accomplish together?" -Kane (Kane)

"We are in a way conquering time, reuniting members of a long lost family" -Quincy (Opabinia Blues)

"I loved reading the trip reports, I loved the sharing, I loved the educational aspect, I loved the humor. It felt like home. It still does" -Mike (Pagurus)

“The best deal I ever got was getting accepted as a member on The Fossil Forum. Not only got an invaluable pool of knowledge, but gained a loving family as well.” -Doren (caldigger)

"it really is nice, to visit the oasis that is TFF" -Tim (fossildude19)

"Life's Good! -Adam (Tidgy's Dad)

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Yup. You can see why someone so intimately familiar with seeing zillions of insects through a long career would see them (even with his eyes closed) in these images. Completely understandable if you are not aware of this proclivity for your mind to spot vague clues to the shapes that in so many instances before have been actual bugs.

 

Search image is a wonderful skill. I'm reading Neil Shubin's Your Inner Fish and just finished the chapter where he mentions first learning how to spot tiny mammal fossils by searching for the faintest glint of enamel. It is really essential to be able to spot your target from (usually) incomplete visual data. That's what separates novice fossil hunters from experienced pros. It's one of the things I most enjoy about experiencing new types of fossil hunts.

 

Countless generations of evolution have honed our visual pattern matching skills to allow us to spot camouflaged prey, ripe fruits, or to distinguish friend from foe at a distance or in a crowd. This ability to spot something important from partial visual information has benefited our species greatly. Pareidolia is not a problem when it results in funny photos on the inter-webber-net for us to laugh about (because we too see the resemblance), it really has no place in science. There have been higher profile cases of pareidolia run amok:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chonosuke_Okamura

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

 

chonosuke-okamura_fossil-laboratory.jpggto12142-fig-0012-m.jpg

okamura-photomicrophraph.jpg

1419294203-0.jpg

 

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The proponent of the Martian insects was also at the Entomological Society in 2020.

Evidently, there is no rational guideline or policy in place to preclude his participation.

 

Quote from the 2020 poster:

 

"Critics of this research reject the possibility of higher life forms on Mars largely because,
according to NASA, the conditions are simply too harsh to support higher life forms, and
because NASA has not acknowledged their presence. Neither of these reasons should
prevent an established scientist from presenting evidence to the contrary."

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image.png.a84de26dad44fb03836a743755df237c.png

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Have you seen images of the Chinsekikan?

rockface-1.jpg.d56ec1bd9f798b7bb2bb79e655cd9b7c.jpg

Chinsekikan-thumbnail.jpg.66f1996fcf63ecb3870b0dfc262465e2.jpgStoneFaces01.jpg.4621f7ffd7e0565c1419958bd52bc1d6.jpg1703_sc_10.jpg.af29e8e440d454f8e516d74a15d5777b.jpg

“If fossils are not "boggling" your mind then you are simply not doing it right” -Ken (digit)

"No fossil is garbage, it´s just not completely preserved” -Franz (FranzBernhard)

"With hammer in hand, the open horizon of time, and dear friends by my side, what can we not accomplish together?" -Kane (Kane)

"We are in a way conquering time, reuniting members of a long lost family" -Quincy (Opabinia Blues)

"I loved reading the trip reports, I loved the sharing, I loved the educational aspect, I loved the humor. It felt like home. It still does" -Mike (Pagurus)

“The best deal I ever got was getting accepted as a member on The Fossil Forum. Not only got an invaluable pool of knowledge, but gained a loving family as well.” -Doren (caldigger)

"it really is nice, to visit the oasis that is TFF" -Tim (fossildude19)

"Life's Good! -Adam (Tidgy's Dad)

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In the five years that I’ve been on the forum, I can remember at least two times someone has come here claiming to have images of fossils on Mars. They were hilariously frustrating threads. 

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We try to be the voice of reason in posts like that. We present evidence and arguments but quite often there is nothing that can change a person's mind once it is set in stone. Usually, the topics end up getting locked before the poster wears out their welcome and our patience wears thin.

 

I've enjoyed (for decades) listening to (mostly reruns of) the Car Talk show on the radio (with Tom & Ray Magliozzi). One of their favorite sayings was "unencumbered by the thought process". I've taken that to its logical conclusion and decided there is a segment of the population too steeped in social media conspiracy theories and other trash "science" who are now "unencumbered by reality". (Trademark pending :P)

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

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The hunter-gatherer who only thought he had spotted a jaguar in the grass merely wasted some energy running away.

 

The hunter-gatherer who didn't spot the real jaguar in the grass didn't leave any offspring.

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