NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO • January 29, 2023
Scientists found an unexpected discovery on the surface of Mars: a formation resembling the face of a bear. A camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter snapped a photo of the formation on Dec. 12. The University of Arizona, which operates the camera, shared the image. Two beady eyes are formed by two craters. A hill with a "V-shaped collapse structure" resembles a snout. A "circular fracture pattern" outlines a head. "The circular fracture pattern might be due to the settling of a deposit over a buried impact crater," the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory says. "Maybe the nose is a volcanic or mud vent and the deposit could be lava or mud flows? Maybe just grin and bear it," the University of Arizona adds.