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[Joey Fox]

First, the story:

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/nasa-says-doughnut-rock-on-mars-is-like-nothing-weve-ever-seen-before-29931351.html

Experts said they were “completely confused” by both the origins and makeup of the object, which is currently being investigated by Opportunity’s various measuring instruments.

Astronomers noticed the new rock had “appeared” without any explanation on an outcrop which had been empty just days earlier. The rover has been stuck photographing the same region of Mars for more than a month due to bad weather, with scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California monitoring the images it sends.

Nasa issued a Mars status report entitled “encountering a surprise”, and lead Mars Exploration rover scientist Steve Squyres told a JPL event it seems the planet literally “keeps throwing new things at us”.

He said the images, from 12 Martian days apart, were from no more than a couple of weeks ago. “We saw this rock just sitting here. It looks white around the edge in the middle and there’s a low spot in the centre that’s dark red – it looks like a jelly doughnut.

“And it appeared, just plain appeared at that spot – and we haven’t ever driven over that spot.”

Squyres said his team had two theories on how the rock got there – that there’s “a smoking hole in the ground somewhere nearby” and it was caused by a meteor, or that it was “somehow flicked out of the ground by a wheel” as the rover went by.

“We had driven a metre or two away from here, and I think the idea that somehow we mysteriously flicked it with a wheel is the best explanation,” Squyres said.

Yet the story got even stranger when Opportunity investigated further. Squyres explained: “We are as we speak situated with the rover’s instruments deployed making measurements of this rock.

“We’ve taken pictures of both the doughnut and jelly parts, and the got the first data on the composition of the jelly yesterday.

“It’s like nothing we’ve ever seen before,” he said. “It’s very high in sulphur, it’s very high in magnesium, it’s got twice as much manganese as we’ve ever seen in anything on Mars.

My reasoning for this likely being life:

1. NASA describes the substance as being a jelly. I challenge anyone to find a jelly-like substance on Earth that is not derived from life. My search of Wikipedia finds the different types of jellies:

Jelly may refer to:
Jelly (fruit preserves), a clear or translucent fruit spread or preserve
Gelatin, a translucent substance extracted from the collagen inside animals' connective tissue, made from bones and pig skin
Gelatin dessert, referred to as jelly in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other countries
Jelly fungus, the class Heterobasidiomycetes
Jelly shoes, shoes made of a soft plastic, resembling sandals
Naval jelly, phosphoric acid in a rust removing gel
Petroleum jelly, a gel used as a topical ointment, such as vaseline
Royal jelly, made by bees and fed to the larvae to turn them into queen bees
Temazepam, a powerful hypnotic drug, street name "Jellies"
Jellyfish, also known as jellies
An informal, temporary Coworking gathering, also called "jellies"
A slang term for Jealous

All of these things, as far as I can tell are derived from life. I'm not 100% sure on Naval jelly, but it appears to be made by humans. It's not something that you would find under a rock in the desert.

2. The jelly is high in manganese. That piqued my interest. My quick research found a research article titled "Manganese-oxidizing photosynthesis before the rise of cyanobacteria". http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/06/20/1305530110.abstract

This jelly is supposedly underneath the rock, but I'm not sure what evidence NASA has of that. The thing appeared out of nowhere, after all.

So what am I missing, Science-GAF? Why are there no articles claiming or debating that this jelly is a lifeform?

 

[Windu]

 

[ElectricBlue187]

So what am I missing, Science-GAF? Why are there no articles claiming or debating that this jelly is a lifeform?

Because the scientists don't believe it's a life form, probably just a thing that got stuck in a wheel. Mars is dead

 

[Various Artists]

In before aliens pic.

 

[chung_sao_ming]

There is not enough information to draw any conclusions yet. The object is strange enough that it merits further investigation, and that is what NASA is there for.

 

[Jarate]

maybe it's a jelly donut

EVER THINK ABOUT THAT

 

[The Lamonster]

Fascinating stuff.

 

[akira28]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=97821038&postcount=31

I think they described this thing as comparative to a jelly doughnut in size.
I don't think they're implying that there is any jelly apparent or present in this rock.

 

[Cat Party]

He's using jelly as an analogy.

 

[KINGofCRA5H]

I think you may be over anaylzing a bit. There's wind on Mars, ya know.

 

[Acorn]

It's a crushed beer can.

 

[Hiccup]

Looking like a jelly donut doesn't mean it's made out of jelly

 

[Jarnet87]

Don't believe their lies, we haven't even been to the moon.

 

[Andalus0880]

In before aliens pic.

Too late.

 

[Quackula]

The time to believe an extraordinary claim is after you have the evidence supporting it.

"I don't know what that is" does not mean that you get to fill in that gap with whatever pleases you.

 

[cameron]

1. NASA describes the substance as being a jelly. I challenge anyone to find a jelly-like substance on Earth that is not derived from life. My search of Wikipedia finds the different types of jellies:

The 'jelly' bit is just describing the appearance of the object. It looks like a jelly donut.

 

[EdibleKnife]

It's just a weather balloon

 

[StuKen]

He's using jelly as an analogy.

Don't spoil his fun.

 

[Riggs]

GAF does not believe in the truth OP. We know it's out there. One day we will be vindicated.

I am being serious btw.

 

[CarbonRevenge]

America: Where every explanation for something must relate to a donut.

 

[zer0blivion]

I don't think we're ready for this jelly.

 

[ElectricBlue187]

America: Where every explanation for something must relate to a donut.

How many doughnuts are in a football field?

 

[Himynameischris]

there’s a low spot in the centre that’s dark red – it looks like a jelly doughnut.

Looks like, doesn't mean it's actually like jelly.

 

[Mike M]

Yeah, at no point is it actually described as being anything like jelly.

 

[frey]

That's very obviously an ancient cobble path the rover is on. Aliens confirmed.

 

[harmonize]

Well I, for one, welcome our new gelatinous overlords.

 

[Valhelm]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1C4wbrXvDI

 

[akira28]

Royal jelly is high in manganese, though. So..maybe it's not a rock but an egg?

 

[OfWhiteSkinOnRedLeather]

It's the protomolecule. Where's Detective when you need him?

 

[Clydefrog]

He's using jelly as an analogy.

you just sound jelly

 

[GhaleonEB]

The 'jelly' bit is just describing the appearance of the object. It looks like a jelly donut.

Aye. OP, it's not literally jelly. They were describing the size and the way it's dark in the center.

 

[friskykillface]

Aliens gonna be mad when they find out we eat jelly doughnuts

im sorry aliens :'( but they are delicious

 

[subrock]

Yup, jelly doughnut is what they said when estimating the size of it, so there are sticking with that nomenclature in ongoing investigation. It's a rock.

 

[captive]

because aliens!

 

[Escape Goat]

We aint ready for this jelly.

 

[lethial]

It's good to believe in something OP, keep reaching for those stars!

 

[cwmartin]

Jelly is an analogy not literal description

 

[Mike M]

because aliens!

This was not your post when I hit the quote button...

 

[CarbonRevenge]

How many doughnuts are in a football field?

What type of donuts are in the football field anyway? I have to know the specific donut. Toppings and more could make the donut bigger and thus the amount of donuts could be more or less.

 

[Wag]

It's probably a part of the rover that fell off.

 

[Flo_Evans]

What if we find massive jelly deposits under the martian surface?

THERE'S A WHOLE OCEAN OF JELLY UNDER OUR FEET! NO ONE CAN GET AT IT EXCEPT FOR ME!!!

 

[NathanMcMahon]

welp, this thread is interesting.

let's salvage it with some alien jelly

 

[terrisus]

“We saw this rock just sitting here. It looks white around the edge in the middle and there’s a low spot in the centre that’s dark red – it looks like a jelly doughnut.

They said it looks like a doughnut
(Jelly doughnut because those don't have holes in the middle, and are powdered, and the center is dark red).

So they're just extending the simile:
Doughnut = Outside of rock
Jelly = Inside of rock

you just sound jelly

Or this.
Scientists are jelly.

 

[Riggs]

All that Jelly and No Toast

 

[akira28]

Aliens gonna be mad when they find out we eat jelly doughnuts

im sorry aliens :'( but they are delicious

"but she was our queen!"

 

[ElectricBlue187]

What if we find massive jelly deposits under the martian surface?

THERE'S A WHOLE OCEAN OF JELLY UNDER OUR FEET! NO ONE CAN GET AT IT EXCEPT FOR ME!!!

I EAT your jelly doughnut

 

[harmonize]

This was not your post when I hit the quote button...

yes it was

 

[kehs]

What flavor.

 

[Spider from Mars]

GAF does not believe in the truth OP. We know it's out there. One day we will be vindicated.

I am being serious btw.

Can I be the Scully to your Fox?

 

[Wag]