Page 48 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - February 2014 Edition

Is there really a face on Mars? Is there really a face on nonetheless fascinating to geologists. Scientists Hannibal's march across the Alps. With a Mars? say the formations may have sat on the edges of 50,000-soldier train, the troops and animals in front would have encountered pristine mountain what was once a Martian ocean. They could have been formed by glaciers sliding slowly streams, but those in back would have been We earthlings have always been fascinated with across the surface of the red planet. Or they forced to deal with putrid and potentially the idea of finding life on other planets, and could have been the result of wind and water cholera-rich water [source: Hunt]. we've been captivated particularly with the erosion, just as rocks have been shaped here on possibility that life exists on one of our closest Earth. NUMBER 9: TYPHOID celestial neighbors -- Mars. Books, television Martian enthusiasts may never give up From 430 to 426 B.C.E., a great plague shows and movies have all arrived at their own on the idea of life on Mars, but s cientists swept through the city-state of Athens. The interpretations of what Martians might look undoubtedly still have much more to learn about historian Thucydides describes the symptoms like, from H.G. Wells' tentacled, squidlike aliens the red planet. [] this way: in "The War of the Worlds," to Looney Tunes' People in good health were all of a Roman helmet- and skirt-wearing M arvin the 10 Oldest Known Diseases sudden attacked by violent heats in the head and Martian. In response to all of this postulating the throat or tongue, becoming bloody and about life on Mars, scientists would explain that In the study of ancient diseases, nothing speaks emitting an unnatural and fetid breath. When it the atmosphere on the red planet couldn't like the dead. fixed in the stomach, it upset it; and discharges support life as we know it. "Bone abnormalities are a strong of bile of every kind named by physicians Then in 1976, NASA's Viking 1 identification source," said Dr. Anne Grauer, ensued, accompanied by very great distress. If spacecraft was scouting out a potential Mars anthropologist at Loyola University Chicago they passed this stage, and the disease landing site for its sister spacecraft, Viking 2, and president of the Paleopathology descended further into the bowels, inducing a when it came across something unexpected. Association, during a personal interview. So it's violent ulceration there accompanied by severe While the craft was snapping pictures of a relatively easy to date tuberculosis due to the diarrhea, this brought on a weakness which was region of the planet called Cydonia, Viking 1 lesions it leaves on bones. Pneumonia may be generally fatal. captured what looked like an enormous human more ancient than TB, but lung tissue doesn't The disease couldn't have come at a face staring up at it. The "face" measured nearly hold up so well after being buried. worse time. The plague contributed to Athens' two miles across and had what looked like deep- "Another source for dating diseases is eventual loss to Sparta in the Peloponnesian set eyes and a clearly delineated nose and genomic data," said Dr. Charlotte Roberts, War and a long hiatus for democracy in world mouth. archaeologist at the University of Durham and history. The tabloids, television shows and author of the book "The Archaeology of What was the cause of this plague? movie studios were quick to jump on the image, Disease." DNA testing of samples from calling it real evidence of life on Mars. Writer mummies and skeletons can conclusively NUMBER 8: LEPROSY and conspiracy theorist Richard Hoagland was identify disease. And even without the evidence The Bible passage Leviticus 13:2 reads, one of the biggest proponents of the face on of a body, genes in existing samples of TB and "When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh Mars idea. He claimed the face was an artifact leprosy bacteria suggest prehistoric origin. a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the of an ancient alien city, built by an intelligent But the most difficult trick in defining skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy; then Martian race. the oldest known diseases may be in how you he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or Despite the apparent clarity of the face, define the word "disease." For the purposes of unto one of his sons the priests." NASA was quick to explain away the image as this article, we'll explore only human, But this isn't the first concrete mention nothing more than an optical illusion. Shadows infectious, viral or bacterial diseases. So nix of the disease. That honor goes to the Egyptian caused by the angle of the sun were merely tooth decay, psoriasis, gout, obesity, rickets, "Ebers Papyrus," written in 1550 B.C.E., which creating the illusion of eyes, a nose and mouth epilepsy, arthritis and other human difficulties recommends, "If you examine a large tumor of across a natural formation, according to that are perhaps best classified as "conditions." Khonsu in any part of a man and it is terrible scientists. Notably absent from this list are some of and it has made many swellings. Something has True believers were equally quick to fire history's biggest killers, including influenza, appeared in it like that in which there is air ... back: NASA was trying to cover up the measles and the black plague. This is because Then you shall say concerning it: It is a swelling evidence of life on Mars. It was a conspiracy. these diseases require a level of population of Khonsu. You should not do anything against Though scientists didn't believe the density that didn't develop until humans began it" [source: Nunn]. image captured of Mars back in the 1970s living in cities. Influenza, measles and the While typhoid and cholera are fairly showed a real face, they did want to get a better plague are social. Malaria isn't. straightforward in their aggressive spread look at it. Once photographic imaging through water sources, leprosy relies on another techniques had improved, they went in for a NUMBER 10: CHOLERA dispersion strategy -- that of dormancy. People closer shot. In April 1998, the Mars Orbiter Around 400 B.C.E., the Athenian can carry the bacteria that cause leprosy for 20 captured a picture 10 times sharper than the physician Hippocrates catalogued the diseases years or more before showing symptoms, and original photos. In these more detailed pictures, of his world. Cholera was on the list. But while during this time can spread the disease. what had appeared to be eyes, nose and a mouth Hippocrates provides the first proof of cholera One historical challenge in treating vanished into nothing more than what scientists leprosy was diagnosis. In its early stages of had originally surmised -- a natural rock beyond a reasonable doubt, the disease likely expression, leprosy looks much like syphilis originated along the Ganges River while Athens formation. was still a very young place. and somewhat like psoriasis. Misdiagnosis However, those who were convinced landed many psoriasis sufferers in leper Cholera lives in many of the world's that this was a real image of a face were not water sources, but it's most dangerous when it colonies where many eventually did, ironically, appeased. Richard Hoagland claimed the image contract and die from leprosy due to increased had been intentionally enhanced so much that has an environment in which there are many exposure. people among whom it can spread. The Ganges the face disintegrated. So in 2001, the Mars River happens to be one of the most ancient Surveyor returned to take even higher resolution locations of human population density, and so it Continued on Page 51 photos. By shooting the formation from was long, long ago that upstream users gathered different angles, it was able to put together a 3- in the numbers needed to pollute the water for Listen To Past Broadcasts D image. When NASA scientists analyzed the those downstream. In other words, as more Of structure's height and dimensions, they found people become infected with cholera, they that it actually resembled a rock formation here The ‘X’ Zone Radio/TV Show on Earth -- the flat-topped mesa commonly pollute the water supply with more bacteria, with Rob McConnell which in turn infects more people. found throughout the Southwest. Interestingly, the same problem might at Though the photographs seemed to www.xzonepodcast.com negate the idea of a face on Mars, they were have been a major factor in the loss of troops in