Mysterious 'mushroom' found on Red Planet in photo taken by rover

Scientists have spent decades scanning the surface of Mars for any sign of life. Now, a photo taken by NASA's Curiosity rover has sparked speculation that the hunt may finally be over. The image, taken from the surface of Mars, shows a "mushroom" growing on the Red Planet. The bizarre discovery has some alien hunters declaring: "Life...found!"

The sensational photograph was taken by the Curiosity rover on September 19, 2013, but was only recently discovered in the archives by UFO hunter Scott Waring, writes the Daily Mail.

Scott Waring says: "This object has a curved lower part of its trunk, just like objects on Earth. I'm not sure how or why NASA could have missed something like this... since NASA's mission is to search for life on other planets and moons."

However, scientists say there is a much simpler explanation.

NASA's Curiosity rover was launched to Mars in 2011 to find out whether the planet has the right conditions to support microscopic life. To help with this search, the rover is equipped with several cameras, a drill to collect rock samples, and a suite of tools to analyze the chemical composition of the samples. However, despite a decade of searching, Curiosity has yet to find any evidence that Mars is or has ever been home to any form of alien life.

But that hasn't stopped the wild speculation that has followed the rover's many discoveries, the Daily Mail points out.

After discovering the archived image, Scott Waring said the rocky structure was a mushroom that "clearly grew out of Martian dirt." He added: "NASA should have poked it, punched it, flipped it, opened it up with their instruments on the Curiosity rover, or at least used the million-dollar laser they use to burn away rocks and dirt."

And Waring isn’t the only one who thinks so. Commentators on social media were quick to back up his claims. One wrote: “It looks like a mushroom to me!” NASA knows a lot more about MARS than they’re letting on.”

And another user boldly stated: "What people don't realize is that if life is only found on one planet in the solar system, then mathematically that means life is everywhere in the universe."

However, scientists are not convinced by this supposed evidence. Dr Gareth Dorrian, a planetary physicist at the University of Birmingham, told MailOnline that it was simply "a flat rock, roughly disc-shaped, sitting on top of a smaller rock below".

"I would suggest that they were not originally in this position, but rather as two rocks lying in the desert, one just below the surface and one on the surface above it," the scientist explained. "Over time, the wind would gradually blow away the sand and dust, and the upper layers would gradually settle on the lower ones."

Dr Dorrian notes that similar wind processes on Earth often result in the appearance of remarkable and strange formations.

Alternatively, these "mushrooms" may be geological structures called concretions that formed billions of years ago when Mars had liquid water. As water passes through sedimentary rocks, it dissolves minerals and rearranges them into a more compact form, forming solid blocks. Because the minerals are harder than the surrounding rocks, they often remain on the surface. These structures often take on a mushroom shape when the wind blows away softer rock, leaving a thin "trunk."

One of the reasons why the Curiosity rover did not stop to take more measurements, as Scott Waring suggests, is that they are common on the surface of Mars. In addition, Dr. Dorrian notes that even if life existed on Mars, the chances of finding a living organism on the surface of Mars are extremely small.

The atmospheric pressure on the surface of Mars is roughly the same as that found 20 miles above Earth's surface, meaning the atmosphere is very thin. This allows a constant stream of ultraviolet radiation and particles in the form of cosmic rays to bombard the surface.

Dr Dorrian said: "It is well known that this harmful combination of radiation damages complex molecules such as DNA and quickly sterilises the surface on which this image was taken."

However, Dorrian points out that the temperatures above the surface would make it impossible for any organism to survive. Temperatures range from a comfortable 20°C during the day to -100°C at night, well below the freezing point of water and much colder than anywhere on Earth. "No known life form, including fungi, can simultaneously tolerate such extreme temperatures, radiation levels and low atmospheric pressure," insists Dr Dorrian. "If life does exist on Mars, it is likely to be underground, for example in underground water reserves, where it would be protected from the harsh conditions on the surface."

This means that this photograph almost certainly depicts an ordinary natural rock formation, rather than life existing in incredibly harsh conditions.