\u2014 Sebastian S. Cocioba\ud83e\ude84\ud83c\udf37 (@ATinyGreenCell) August 7, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n It looks like coral\u2014but it\u2019s just ancient rock<\/p>\n On August 4, 2025, Curiosity sent back a close-up black-and-white image of a 2.5 cm object that, at first glance, looks strikingly like a piece of coral. Naturally, that set off excitement. But NASA researchers quickly clarified: what you\u2019re seeing isn\u2019t fossilized Martian life\u2014it\u2019s a rock sculpted by billions of years of water and wind.<\/p>\n According to NASA, these formations are common. Long ago, when liquid water still existed on Mars, it carried dissolved minerals<\/a> into cracks in rock. As the water evaporated, it left behind hardened deposits. Over time, Martian winds sandblasted away the surrounding stone, leaving behind odd, beautiful shapes.<\/p>\n This newly imaged rock even resembles one spotted by Curiosity just days earlier.<\/p>\n An image taken by Curiosity\u2019s Mars Hand Lens Imager on July 24, 2025, shows a coral-shaped rock about 5 centimeters long that scientists have nicknamed \u201cPaposo.\u201d \u00a9 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA<\/p>\n A known process\u2014on both planets<\/p>\n Scientists say this kind of structure isn\u2019t unique to Mars. Similar geological formations occur here on Earth. The same weathering process once created a small, flower-shaped rock\u2014also discovered by Curiosity\u2014that\u2019s no bigger than a coin.<\/p>\n This image was also taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager camera on the Curiosity rover. It was on February 24, 2022. A \u201cflower\u201d formed by minerals carried by water. \u00a9 NASA<\/p>\n So while the new image is certainly intriguing, it\u2019s not a smoking gun. It does, however, provide more evidence of past liquid water on Mars<\/a>\u2014a key factor in understanding whether life could have once existed there.<\/p>\n No aliens\u2014yet<\/p>\n Curiosity has been exploring Mars since 2012, covering more than 35 kilometers inside Gale Crater. Its mission: to look for evidence of past habitability. And while it hasn\u2019t found direct signs of life, it has revealed a rich geological story shaped by water.<\/p>\n The latest photo is a reminder of how strange\u2014and familiar\u2014Mars can be. The search for life continues, but for now, science says: it\u2019s just a rock.<\/p>\n \t\t\t Nathalie Mayer <\/p>\n \n Journalist <\/p>\n Born in Lorraine on a freezing winter night, storytelling has always inspired me, first through my grandmother’s tales and later Stephen King’s imagination. A physicist turned science communicator, I’ve collaborated with institutions like CEA, Total, Engie, and Futura. Today, I focus on unraveling Earth’s complex environmental and energy challenges, blending science with storytelling to illuminate solutions.<\/p>\n \t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/rock-coral-mars-curiosity-1024x764.jpeg\")
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