On April 1 2023 NASA’s Curiosity rover uncovered a bizarre-looking rock formation, a images of what closely resembles dragon bones.
Curiosity successfully landed in Gale Crater on Mars on August 6, 2012, as the largest and most capable rover at the time. Since, it’s made numerous breakthroughs, such as discovering evidence of past water on Mars, as well as organic molecules that are essential for life. Both being huge first steps in finding out if Mars once had life.
Although its declining condition and the launch of the more advanced Perseverance rover have put Curiosity’s heyday behind the 11-year-old robot, it continues to capture our imagination with rock formations that look all to familiar.
"In 20 years of studying Mars, that’s the most bizarre rock I have ever seen", said Nathalie Cabrol, prominent Astrobiologist, and TED speaker. She explains that the structure gained its unique ripples “after lots of erosion,” presumably from wind.
That's a coincidence! It was no April Fools!