Images of rocky formations on Mars, when enlarged, can be open to many interpretations.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Professor emeritus William Romoser of Ohio University recently published a paper with a bold claim: he’s found insects on Mars. The assertion was made after Romoser studied reams of images from NASA’s Mars rovers. In a press statement, he said, “There has been and still is life on Mars,” adding that he could clearly make out bug-like features from the photographs. The pushback has been rapid, with many pointing out that the images are lowresolution when magnified to this extent, and therefore open to interpretation. A professor at Oregon State University further pointed out that people, even scientists, often see what they want to see and what is familiar in their area of study. It’s called pareidolia, and occurs when people see familiar patterns in random images—in this case, bugs. Since Romoser studies insect-borne viruses, this may make more sense than cockroaches living on the Red Planet.