After NASA jumped the gun with the Mars meteorite several years ago (when they made a big deal about some natural formations looking like bacteria), the last thing they're going to do is to reach another premature conclusion. This is also in the context of the original Viking landers. NASA thought certain chemical processes were lifelike until they determined that natural processes were much more likely. I want us to find life on Mars every bit as much as anyone here, but you have to remain skeptical if you're to do good science. If those little nodules are the result of life processes, they have to be able to withstand intense scrutiny. You can't use the X-Files criterion "It looks odd, must be supernatural". You've really got to beat on the evidence and try every approach to break it. Only when it stands up to that sort of onslaught can you open the door to a more radical interpretation. Michael
Hi friends, I still can't get over the feeling that NASA is missing the boat, and that the "blueberries" are some form of life, either fossil or presently alive, that we don't easily recognize as life because they are so alien. Look at this closeup: