Latest news with #ScottWaring
Daily Mail
06-07-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
'Alien visitors' theory as Net goes wild for 'skull' lurking off Canadian island
Internet sleuths swear they have seen a huge skull lurking in the waters of a Canadian island. And some are now claiming it might be a sign of alien interference. UFO tracker Scott Waring told of the sighting off Cormorant Island: 'I believe ancient alien visitors created the skull. They did this to leave a sign behind for others to see that says, "We were here first." ' When viewed from the north, a sandbank beneath the water reveals a distinct shape of a human skull. However, scientists contend there is a simple explanation for the confounding illusion. The strange skull-like formation can be found on Google Maps by searching for the village of Alert Bay, the only settlement on the tiny island, which is located off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island in Canada's British Columbia province. However, you will need to rotate the map 180 degrees in order to see the 'face' looming out from the waters. On social media, commenters flocked to share their amazement. One wrote: 'That's actually incredible. It's amazing!!' Another chimed in: 'Help me out here, in the words of X-Files, I want to believe.' While the sight might be a mystery to some, Waring is convinced it must be extraterrestrial in origin. The founder of UFO Sightings Daily says that the sandbar's human-like appearance is 'not a coincidence.' He added: 'The details of the skull are completely accurate, but on a scale of 100 meters across.' But not everyone is on board with these claims of alien activity. UFO researcher Philip Mantle told 'There are no signs that alien life forms have visited Earth in antiquity and left evidence of such. 'It could well be a natural rock formation that looks skull-like. A bit like seeing faces in the clouds.' In fact, scientists say there is a good reason why all sorts of geological structures get mistaken for faces or skulls. When faced with a structure containing intricate and varied patterns, the brain turns this noisy, dynamic information into patterns and objects that we can understand. The brain gets this right most of the time, but sometimes certain predispositions cause errors that disturb our perceptions. Dr Robin Kramer, an expert on face perception from the University of Lincoln in eastern England, told 'Our face detection system has evolved to be great at detecting faces and it makes more sense to err on the side of caution by occasionally seeing faces where there aren't any, rather than missing faces where there are.' Scientists call this phenomenon pareidolia, which is a bias towards seeing meaningful patterns in inanimate objects. Dr Kramer says: 'Face pareidolia explains why we might see faces in geological structures, as well as pretty much anything else.' Scientists think that we evolved this sensitivity towards faces because it helped our ancestors find friends and spot enemies. For hunter-gatherers, it was better to briefly mistake a bush for your neighbor's animal than miss someone sneaking up on you. Professor Kevin Brooks, a psychologist at Macquarie University in Australia, told 'We tend to classify anything vaguely face-like as a face until proven otherwise – it's safer that way. 'Evolutionary psychologists speculate that we evolved this mechanism to help our survival, and increase our chances of passing on our genes, bringing forth another generation of people who are also good at face detection.' Some people are more sensitive to faces and so might experience more pareidolia in their daily lives. Dr Susan Wardle, a researcher at the National Institutes of Health, said pareidolia is not 'usually' a sign of any psychological or neurological issues. However, a high rate of pareidolia might be a sign of someone's bias towards believing in the paranormal. A Finnish study conducted in 2012 found that people with religious or paranormal beliefs were much more likely to see faces in random stimuli. This could explain why alien hunters seem to find faces or patterns in geological features so frequently. Dr Wardle concludes: 'Most people who see faces in things recognize that the faces are not real. 'Issues can arise when people interpret visual patterns to have meaning that they do not, or when they have difficulty distinguishing true perceptions from illusory ones.' WHY DO WE SEE FACES IN INANIMATE OBJECTS? Pareidolia is the psychological response to seeing faces and other significant and everyday items in random stimuli. It is a form of apophenia, when people see patterns in random, unconnected data. There have been multiple occasions when people have claimed to see religious images and themes in unexpected places. On the red planet, one of the most famous is the 'face on Mars' spotted by one of the Viking orbiters in 1976. This was later proven to just be a chance alignment of shifting sand dunes.
Daily Mail
06-07-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Google Maps users are baffled after spotting a mysterious SKULL off the coast of a Canadian island - as one claims it was created by 'alien visitors'
From UFOs buried in the Sahara Desert to mysterious doorways in the Arctic, Google Maps users have made dozens of wild discoveries over the years. But this latest find might be one of the strangest sightings yet. Keen-eyed internet sleuths have spotted what appears to be a massive skull lurking in the waters of a Canadian island. Users have been baffled by the sighting, with some claiming that it might even be a sign of alien interference. The strange structure can be found on the northern coast of Cormorant Island, just off Canada 's northeast coast. When viewed from the north, a sandbank beneath the water reveals a distinct shape of a human skull. Scott Waring, founder of UFO Sightings Daily, who spotted the shape, told MailOnline: 'I believe ancient alien visitors created the skull. They did this to leave a sign behind for others to see that says, "we were here first".' However, scientists say there is a much simpler explanation for this confounding illusion. The strange skull-like formation can be found on Google Maps by searching for the village of Alert Bay, the island's only settlement. However, you will need to rotate the map 180 degrees in order to see the 'face' looming out from the waters. On social media, commenters flocked to share their amazement at this sinister discovery. One commenter wrote: 'That's actually incredible. It's amazing!!' Another chimed in: 'Help me out here, in the words of X-Files, I want to believe.' While the sight might be a mystery to some, Mr Waring is convinced that it must be extraterrestrial in origin. The UFO hunter says that the sandbar's human-like appearance is 'not a coincidence'. He adds: 'The details of the skull are completely accurate, but on a scale of 100 meters across.' But not everyone is on board with these claims of alien activity. UFO researcher Philip Mantle told MailOnline: 'There are no signs that alien life forms have visited the earth in antiquity and left evidence of such. 'It could well be a natural rock formation that looks skull-like. A bit like seeing faces in the clouds.' In fact, scientists say there is a very good reason why all sorts of geological structures get mistaken for faces or skulls. When faced with a structure containing intricate and varied patterns, the brain turns this noisy, dynamic information into patterns and objects that we can understand. The brain gets this right most of the time, but sometimes certain predispositions cause errors which disturb our perceptions. Dr Robin Kramer, an expert on face perception from the University of Lincoln, told MailOnline: 'Our face detection system has evolved to be great at detecting faces and it makes more sense to err on the side of caution by occasionally seeing faces where there aren't any, rather than missing faces where there are.' Scientists call this phenomenon pareidolia, which is a bias towards seeing meaningful patterns in inanimate objects. Dr Kramer says: 'Face pareidolia explains why we might see faces in geological structures, as well as pretty much anything else.' Scientists think that we evolved this sensitivity towards faces because it helped our ancestors find friends and spot enemies. For hunter-gatherers, it was better to briefly mistake a bush for your neighbour's animal than miss someone sneaking up on you. Professor Kevin Brooks, a psychologist at Macquarie University, told MailOnline: 'We tend to classify anything vaguely face-like as a face until proven otherwise – it's safer that way. 'Evolutionary psychologists speculate that we evolved this mechanism to help our survival, and increase our chances of passing on our genes, bringing forth another generation of people who are also good at face detection.' Some people are more sensitive to faces and so might experience more pareidolia in their daily lives. Dr Susan Wardle, a researcher at the National Institutes of Health, told MailOnline that pareidolia isn't 'usually' a sign of any psychological or neurological issues. However, a high rate of pareidolia might be a sign of someone's bias towards believing in the paranormal. A Finnish study conducted in 2012 found that people with religious or paranormal beliefs were much more likely to see faces in random stimuli. This could explain why alien hunters seem to find faces or patterns in geological features so frequently. Dr Wardle concludes: 'Most people who see faces in things recognise that the faces are not real. 'Issues can arise when people interpret visual patterns to have meaning that they do not, or when they have difficulty distinguishing true perceptions from illusory ones.' WHY DO WE SEE FACES IN INANIMATE OBJECTS? Pareidolia is the psychological response to seeing faces and other significant and everyday items in random stimuli. It is a form of apophenia, when people see patterns in random, unconnected data. There have been multiple occasions when people have claimed to see religious images and themes in unexpected places. On the red planet, one of the most famous is the 'face on Mars' spotted by one of the Viking orbiters in 1976. This was later proven to just be a chance alignment of shifting sand dunes.
Mint
19-06-2025
- Science
- Mint
Mushroom on Mars? Blog post claims to spot a sign of life on red planet
A decade-old image from NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has resurfaced online, reigniting speculation about the possibility of life on the Red Planet. The photograph, originally taken on September 19, 2013, recently caught the attention of UFO enthusiast Scott Waring, who claims it features an object resembling a mushroom. Waring, a self-proclaimed UFO hunter known for his blog on extraterrestrial phenomena, said he discovered the unusual formation while reviewing archived Mars images on NASA's website. Highlighting a small protrusion near the centre-bottom of the image, he suggested it closely resembles a mushroom with a curved stem and wrinkled cap, similar to those found on Earth. His claims have since gone viral on social media, fuelling renewed debate over the existence of alien life. The image was captured by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), a camera attached to the rover's robotic arm that provides high-resolution images of Martian rocks and soil. In a blog post, Waring criticised NASA for allegedly ignoring the object. 'NASA should have poked it, bumped it, knocked it over, or cut it open using their onboard tools—or even used their laser to investigate,' he wrote. However, scientific experts have been quick to refute the claim. Dr Gareth Dorrian, a planetary scientist at the University of Birmingham, told the Daily Mail that the object is more likely a naturally occurring rock formation. According to him, what appears to be a mushroom is probably a disc-shaped rock that may have been exposed over time as wind eroded the surrounding sand and dust. While the object may not provide definitive evidence of life, the resurfaced image has revived public curiosity around one of space science's biggest unanswered questions: Is there—or was there ever—life on Mars? NASA's Curiosity rover, which has been operating on the Martian surface since 2012, has found promising clues over the years. It has detected organic molecules in Martian rocks and methane in the atmosphere, both considered potential indicators of microbial life. Yet, no conclusive evidence has emerged so far. With multiple international missions planned in the coming years, including Mars sample-return projects, scientists continue to explore the Red Planet's past and present habitability. The viral mushroom-like rock may not offer the answers, but it's a reminder of just how invested humanity remains in unlocking Mars' many mysteries.
NDTV
19-06-2025
- Science
- NDTV
"Mushroom" On Mars: Is This A Sign Of Life On Red Planet?
An old image captured by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has resurfaced, intriguing people because of a peculiar object seen in it. The image was taken on September 19, 2013, but the fresh detail was recently spotted by Scott Waring, self-proclaimed UFO hunter. Highlighting a portion in the photo, Waring said he "found a mushroom". The details were soon picked up by social media users who also pointed out that a formation in the picture resembles a toadstool or a mushroom. From aliens to UFOs, people have a number of conspiracy theories, but the image has reignited the same old question: Is there life on Mars? According to NASA, Curiosity took that image using its Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), which is located on the turret at the end of the rover's robotic arm. Waring, in his blog post, claimed that he was looking through the NASA site and found a mushroom at the bottom centre of the photo. "I'm not sure how or why NASA could overlook such a NASA's mission it to find life on other planets and moons," he added. He argued that the object has a curved bottom part of a stem, the same as those on Earth. The top is round, uneven and wrinkled. "NASA should have poked it, bumped it, knocked it over, cut it open with their tools on Curiosity rover or at least use that million dollar laser they burn rocks and dirt with in many photos," Waring wrote. Unlike Waring, another scientist has taken a different approach. Dr Gareth Dorrian, a planetary physicist from the University of Birmingham, said that the object is not a living organism, but looks like a flat, disc-shaped rock. "My best guess would be they were not originally in that position, but like two rocks lying in the desert, one just below the surface and the other on the surface above it. Over time the wind could gradually blow the sand and dust away, and the top one would gradually settle onto the bottom one," Daily Mail quoted Dr Dorrian as saying. Is there life on Mars? The question of life on Mars is a complex one. While there's currently no definitive evidence of life on the Red Planet, scientists continue to explore the possibility. The Curiosity rover has been exploring Mars since 2012, discovering evidence of past water on Mars and studying the planet's geology. NASA's Curiosity Rover has found organic molecules, which are building blocks of life, in Martian rocks. Methane has also been detected in the Martian atmosphere, which could be a sign of microbial life. So far, there is no definitive evidence of life on Mars, however, ongoing and future missions will continue to explore the Red Planet's habitability and potential for life.
Metro
18-06-2025
- Science
- Metro
Expert gives verdict on 'wrinkled mushroom' spotted on Mars
UFO hunters are excited after spotting a 'mushroom' on the dusty surface of Mars. The image was taken by Nasa's Curiosity rover in 2013, but the freak 'fungi' on the surface of the Red Planet remained unnoticed… until now. Scott Waring shared a photo of the 'mushroom' on his website, which regularly finds things such as a secret door or a baby bear on Mars, earlier this week, saying: 'I'm not sure how or why NASA could overlook such a thing.' He claimed: 'The top is round, uneven and wrinkled… same as the ones in my front yard. This one has clearly pushed up out of the Mars dirt. 'Did you know that mushroom spores can live in the harsh environment of space and may have travelled to Mars this way?' But while it's true that mushroom spores are hardy, and have even survived over a year in outer space conditions on the International Space Station, this particular rock is not an alien species of portobello. Astrobiologist Dr Louisa Preston, head of planetary science at UCL's Mullard Space Science Laboratory, told Metro: 'Given the environmental extremes on the surface of Mars such as high sterilising radiation, low atmospheric pressure and below freezing temperatures, this is not a mushroom. 'These conditions are too extreme for the most hardiest life forms we have found on the Earth to survive, let alone mushrooms. 'If life does exist on Mars, it is more likely to be found below ground, where it would be shielded from the harsh environment at the surface. 'The image is simply a mixture of cool-looking rocks, quite possibly rounded concretions or eroded pebbles, and a great camera angle, that has captured a bigger rock sitting on or simply located above a smaller rock.' She added that while we can learn a lot about Mars from sending rovers out there, it is still very tricky to take and transmit images of another planet. 'The surrounding geological context, shadows, angle of the rover in relation to the rocks, and where the Sun is, all affect the types of images we get and importantly how we interpret them,' she said. More Trending 'In this case it is clever camera work and some interesting rocks lying next to each other, not mushrooms.' If you're disappointed that the 'mushroom' is not a mushroom, take heart that there's still hope to find other life on Mars. Biomarkers are more likely to have been conserved beneath the surface, where they haven't been blasted with space radiation. The Rosalind Franklin rover will head to Mars in 2028, designed to drill up to two metres beneath the planet's surface hunting for evidence of past — or maybe even present — life. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Why did Donald Trump and Elon Musk fall out? Feud explained MORE: Trump accuses Musk of 'going crazy' after Epstein files 'bomb' in public feud MORE: Scientists have a new way to find aliens – and they could be closer than we think
