mars
Latest about mars
![A photo of the "mineral flower" alongside other diagenetic features on the surface of Mars captured by NASA's Curiosity rover on Feb. 25.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CB9St36Q67GfNrXWodcXvG-320-80.jpg)
15 Martian objects that aren't what they seem
By Stephanie Pappas, Natalie Wolchover, Brandon Specktor published
From Martian 'faces' to blueberries and bears, the Red Planet has long tricked human minds into seeing signs of life that aren't there.
![NASA's Curiosity rover took this selfie while inside Mars' Gale crater on June 15, 2018, which was the 2,082nd Martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ubY9QH5fSdZMMco9rYuiP4-320-80.jpg)
Scientists created AI that could detect alien life — and they're not entirely sure how it works
By Ben Turner published
The new machine-learning algorithm can distinguish between biological and nonbiological samples with 90% accuracy. Exactly how is a mystery.
![Red dirt on Mars surface. Woman wearing futuristic exoskeleton exploring cave and mountain areas.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GEQY7UkU3BsmLZfiXWVa7g-320-80.jpg)
What would colors look like on other planets?
By Joanna Thompson published
Here's how your brain might adjust to see color on another world.
![(Left) a shark fin shaped rock on Mars (Right) an accompanying crab claw shaped boulder (Insert) NASA's Perseverance Rover.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JmGv9z5HiP9DNVQVdPNA8g-320-80.jpg)
Perseverance rover spots a shark fin and crab claw on Mars
By Robert Lea published
Is something fishy happening on the Red Planet, or is it all in our minds again?
![Part of Mars being orbited by its moons](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5mcdwFSm7mBDxnuBFnzaLJ-320-80.jpg)
NASA may have unknowingly found and killed alien life on Mars 50 years ago, scientist claims
By Harry Baker published
One researcher hypothesizes that experiments carried out by NASA's Viking landers in 1976 could have inadvertently killed microbes living in Martian rocks. Other experts are skeptical.
![Mars with the sun in the distance](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/M6iecnEpszWq4rqU3ECnwb-320-80.jpg)
'Mystery explosion' on sun launches coronal mass ejection at Mars
By Harry Baker published
The sun has launched a surprise CME directly at Mars, which could spark auroras and damage the Red Planet's atmosphere when it hits on Sept. 1.
![Science fiction illustration of a future colony settlement on Mars.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/33WeLBhgTH3TjYGb863FUC-320-80.jpg)
Just 22 people are needed to colonize Mars — as long as they are the right personality type, study claims
By Harry Baker published
Researchers estimated that as few as 22 people would be needed to sustain a colony on Mars. But there are lots of caveats, and the new study largely misses the point of colonizing the Red Planet in the first place, experts say.
![Hundreds of polygon-shaped crack in the Martian surface](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aZYAaPvBH7frYpSfLAzrbJ-320-80.jpg)
Bizarre polygons on Mars' surface hint that alien life on Red Planet was possible
By Harry Baker published
A patchwork of polygon-shaped cracks in ancient Martian mud are evidence of past wet-dry cycles, which could have helped extraterrestrial life emerge on the Red Planet.
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