Is there a ruined civilization on Mars? A theoretical physicist runs the numbers
In this episode of “Reality Check,” Ross Coulthart sits down with theoretical physicist and philosopher of physics Maaneli Derakhshani for an extended look at anomalous features cataloged on the surface of the moon, Phobos, and Mars. The conversation begins with Lue Elizondo’s remarks about lunar anomalies, then moves outward to the Phobos 2 spacecraft and the object once described as a monolith in NASA’s own mission literature, and the reasons why SETI took the object seriously enough to study it.
From there, Max guides Ross through the images most notable on Mars, from the so-called glass worm to the linear formations near the Atlantis basin, applying the same fractal analysis that NASA and the Department of Defense use to separate natural terrain from engineered structures. Basing the argument on Carl Sagan’s own standards for searching for evidence of past life, Max argues that some of these features deserve to be treated as genuine open questions rather than tricks of light and shadow. The episode ends with the face on Mars and the geometric relationships between the formations Max needs to see.
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