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Arthur C. Clarke's Banyan Trees of Mars: Martian Civilization Evidence #4768
Mars Image Credit: NASA/JPL/ASU/USGS/MALIN
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In this image below, Arthur C. Clarke, popular authur and scientist, argued Mars was showing very obvious indications of plant life...
He said there was an eerie similiarity to sprawling Banyan trees found on Earth.
http://ida.wr.usgs.gov/html/m08046/m0804688.html
Older banyan trees are characterized by their aerial prop roots which grow into thick woody trunks which, with age, can become indistinguishable from the main trunk.
Old trees can spread out laterally using these prop roots to cover a wide area. The largest such tree is now found in Kolkata in India. One of the most famous of
banyan trees was planted on the island of Kabirvad in Gujarat. Records show that the Kabirvad tree is more than 300 years old. Another famous banyan tree was
planted in 1873 in Lahaina's Courthouse Square in Hawaii , and has now grown to cover two-thirds of an acre. Wikipedia: Banyan Trees
Banyan trees on Earth
The fictional character Robinson Crusoe built his treehouse in a Banyan.
Banyan trees are known to encompass entire structures such as in the ancient ruins of Ta Prohm, Ankor, Cambodia.
(Image Credit: Casual Chin [flickr])
One of the most famous species of Banyan,is the Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is said that the tree was grown from a
cutting from the original tree under which Buddha became enlightened in the 6th century BC.
Planted in 288 BC, it is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world, with a definitive planting date! Source
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The following Arthur C. Clarke interview is from this Popular Science Magazine article.
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Popular Science: What makes you so confident there is life on Mars?
Arthur C. Clarke: The image is so striking that there is no need to say anything about it -- it's obviously vegetation to any unbiased eye.
Popular Science: What about animal life?
Arthur C. Clarke: If there is vegetation, it seems probable there are other life-forms as well.
Popular Science: Few experts agree with you.
Arthur C. Clarke: Remember how a certain Astronomer Royal said that space flight was 'utter bilge'?
Popular Science: Indeed, Richard van der Reit Wooley said so in 1956...
http://www.msss.com/moc_gallery/m07_m12/images/M08/M0804874.html
Popular Science: Why are you so passionate about this?
Arthur C. Clarke: Because nothing could be more important than the discovery of other life-forms. It's getting lonely down here.
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Above is a March 2009 high resolution (hi-rise) image of Arthur's Banyan trees.
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