The most advanced robot explorer sent by humanity to Mars has discovered a mysterious rock cluster resembling hundreds of spider eggs. Scientists at NASA shared their initial remarks about the rock.

A new report has arrived from the Red Planet.

The most advanced robot explorer sent by humanity to Mars identified a strange object: a mysterious rock cluster resembling hundreds of spider eggs. The rock, found on the slopes of Witch Hazel Hill near Jezero Crater, was described as lightly dusted with red sand. The rock, named “St. Paul’s Bay” by the Perseverance team, detected by the Perseverance rover, belongs to a category of rocks known as “floating rocks,” which are formed in a different place and transported there by certain geological processes. NASA stated, “As a result of this movement, environmental evidence that can explain its strange texture is lacking.” One possibility is that this mysterious rock, which looks entirely unfamiliar to its surroundings, may have formed in another region of Mars, with an asteroid impact creating hundreds of nodules on its surface and hurling it to the point where it is currently seen.

POSSIBLY ROLLED DOWN NASA suggests that the rock may have rolled down from Witch Hazel Hill. The rock may have come from one of the darker layers of the hill, about which scientists have been trying to examine based on observations from satellites orbiting Mars but have not obtained much data. If even these dark layers resemble the composition of the rock, this could indicate a layer of volcanic activity, an ancient meteor impact, the presence of underground water in the past, or something entirely different. Rocks like these provide important clues to scientists about how Mars has changed over time. Their formations and movements reveal complex interactions between water, rocks, and geological forces on Mars, which could help answer whether the planet hosted life in the past. If Witch Hazel Hill once had underground water, some of the rock samples collected by Perseverance may contain fossilized microbial life. NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission, currently planned for the 2030s, will collect these rock samples and return them to Earth for further study.