Interior Image Processed Views
Of Spherules
Further confirmation that these
are the Martian equivalent of sea urchins
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The original image is
from Sol 034, Opportunity - this is the results of the RAT applied to the fossil
bed. Two of the three spheres that were cut in cross section are shown
here. The original image is
here.
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On the left is the
original view, three frames stacked for image depth enhancement. I
then did a differential transform to enhance the edges of the internal
features.
The results? Most Martian urchins share a
5-fold symmetry with Earthly ones, at least to the best that I can
tell. Observe the faint double lines that indicate internal
"plumbing". Also note the complex things near the
epidermal layers.
This is from the upper right
of the original.
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If you compare the
faint dark looping structure on the left (3 frame stack, no processing) to
the more complex image on the right, the enhancements sure make themselves
known. The only problem with working on images this faint is that
noise becomes a problem. Stacking sure helps a lot but does not
defeat basic physics and information theory...
Still, look at the radial
patterns, clusters of things, and reticulated double lines. There
are even what appear to be the "hydraulic" lines that any urchin
uses for locomotion. Definitely biological in origin.
This is from the lower right
of the original. |
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Here are enlarged views but
they are a bit blurry. I am working to improve on them, but I am limited
by the resolution of the data posted on the JPL site.
As I get new images processed, I
will post them. However, this is a slow process as much of the data is
very low-level and it takes a lot of work to ferret it out. I typically
will try three or four processes before getting an image that is worth saving.
I am also including a link to an excellent
paper on sea urchins that will show many things about them that also might
apply to Martian ones. There are numerous "doubled" spherules,
and this is consistent with the fact that terrestrial urchins can reproduce by
budding or fissioning, as well as releasing eggs and sperm into the water.
Note the anatomy on pages 38 and 39.
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