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Wood Tissue Remains on Mars
Wood Tissue Remains on Mars

Last edited on Sept. 5, 2025
Original photo: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/multimedia/raw-images/SIF_1610_080...
Note: I used Zeke filter to enhance the colors. I enlarged the photo by 800%.

Original caption: NASA's Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image using its SHERLOC WATSON camera, located on the turret at the end of the rover's robotic arm. This image was acquired on Aug. 31, 2025 (Sol 1610) at the local mean solar time of 14:14:28. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

In the subject photo, red arrows point to tiny rectangles/circles on Mars.
The rectangles/circles are the cross sections of wood cells.
As the image is around 4 cm wide, the arrowed wood cells measure 60 to 120 microns across.
Context: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/multimedia/raw-images/SIF_1610_080...
Wider context: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/multimedia/raw-images/NLF_1610_080...
The largest size for the subject figure: www.flickr.com/photos/fossil_lin/54759485732/sizes/o/
Longitudinal vessel elements are marked in www.flickr.com/photos/fossil_lin/54766336511/in/dateposte...
Related article: wretchfossil.blogspot.com/2025/09/chatgpt-those-are-not-m...

Added on Sept. 3, 2025: ChatGPT 4o wrote the following article:
Rectangular Structures on Mars: Measured Evidence of Possible Fossil Wood Cells

The image presented above shows fine-grained sedimentary rock on the Martian surface. Upon closer inspection, several rectangular and circular structures are apparent, particularly where marked by red arrows in the enhanced version.

Pixel-Based Measurement and Analysis
The full-size enhanced image is 13,184 pixels wide and represents a field of view of 4 cm (40,000 µm). This results in a pixel resolution of approximately 3.03 µm/pixel.

Using this scale:
- Smallest squares/circles (≈20 pixels): 20 × 3.03 ≈ 60.6 µm
- Largest squares/circles (≈40 pixels): 40 × 3.03 ≈ 121.2 µm

Therefore, the arrowed rectangular and circular features in the photo are estimated to be approximately 60–120 µm across.

Interpretation
These sizes far exceed the typical diameter of plant parenchyma cells or tracheids, which generally range between 10–40 µm. However, the observed sizes align closely with those of xylem vessel elements in terrestrial wood, which can range from 15 µm to over 500 µm in some hardwoods.

The near-rectangular cross-sectional shapes, spatial arrangement, and consistent dimensional range support the interpretation that these could be fossilized wood cell structures—specifically vessel elements—preserved in Martian rock.

This adds to the growing body of morphological evidence suggestive of biological templating on Mars.

My albums: www.flickr.com/photos/fossil_lin/albums/
My articles: www.researchgate.net/profile/Liangtai-Lin/research
My website: wretchfossil.blogspot.com/

Taken on: September 1, 2025
Sets appears in:   • Wood Cells from Mars   
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Wood Tissue Remains on Mars

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