{"id":943761,"date":"2026-05-07T12:19:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T12:19:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/943761\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T12:19:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T12:19:43","slug":"nasa-rover-captures-weird-spiderwebs-on-mars-giving-scientists-fresh-hope-of-finding-ancient-life-on-the-red-planet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/943761\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA rover captures weird ‘spiderwebs’ on Mars, giving scientists fresh hope of finding ancient life on the Red Planet"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASA\u2019s Curiosity rover has captured its most detailed images yet of unusual spiderweb-like formations on Mars<\/a>, revealing new evidence that groundwater once shaped the Red Planet\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n

The formations, known as boxwork, appear as vast, web-like patterns when viewed from orbit, but resolve into low ridges and hollows from the rover\u2019s surface-level perspective.<\/p>\n

The structures likely formed when water flowed through fractures in Martian bedrock, depositing minerals that hardened into ridges while surrounding material eroded away.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe ‘face on Mars’ photographed by NASA’s Viking 1 Orbiter, 25 July 1976. Credit: NASA\/JPL<\/p>\n

\"Spider-shapedSpider-shaped features in the south polar region of Mars, captured by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/University of Arizona<\/p>\n

Captured by Curiosity\u2019s Mastcam during its ascent of Mount Sharp in Gale Crater, the new photographs provide an unprecedented look at terrain scientists have long studied from orbit.<\/p>\n

The ridges typically stand 1\u20132 metres high and crisscross the landscape for miles, creating a distinctive giant spiderweb pattern.<\/p>\n

\"Spiderweb-likeSpiderweb-like bodywork formations seen by NASA\u2019s Curiosity Mars rover on 26 September 2025. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS<\/p>\n

The discovery points to the presence of liquid water on this part of the Red Planet much later than scientists previously believed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Seeing boxwork this far up the mountain suggests the groundwater table had to be pretty high,” says Tina Seeger, one of the mission scientists leading the investigation.<\/p>\n

\"BumpyBumpy nodules formed by minerals that remained as groundwater dried out on Mars billions of years ago. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS<\/p>\n

“And that means the water needed for sustaining life could have lasted much longer than we thought looking from orbit.<\/p>\n

“We can\u2019t quite explain yet why the nodules appear where they do. Maybe the ridges were cemented by minerals first, and later episodes of groundwater left nodules around them.”<\/p>\n

As exploration continues, researchers hope these intricate structures will provide further insights into the timing, extent and duration of water on Mars \u2013 and whether it could once have supported life.<\/p>\n

More of Curiosity rover’s amazing Mars images<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Coral-likeCoral-like Martian rock as seen by Curiosity Mars rover, 24 July 2025
Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS<\/p>\n

\"NoctilcuentNoctilcuent clouds on Mars captured by NASA\u2019s Curiosity Mars rover on 17 January 2025. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS\/SSI<\/p>\n

\"SpecksSpecks in this image were caused by charged particles from a solar storm hitting one of the navigation cameras aboard NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/p>\n

\"AnAn image of Marker Band Valley on Mars captured by NASA’s Curiosity rover. Blue represents morning and yellow represents afternoon. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/p>\n

\"AnAn iridescent cloud on Mars captured just after sunset on 27 January 2023, by NASA’s Curiosity rover. Credits: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS<\/p>\n

\"StrangeStrange rocks on Mars, as seen by Curiosity Rover, 15 May 2022
Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS<\/p>\n

\"MarsMars rovers regularly find meteorites on the planet’s surface. This space rock was discovered by Curiosity on 30 October 2016. It’s about the size of a golf ball. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS<\/p>\n

\"AA view of Mars moon Phobos (left) and Earth (right captured from the surface of Mars by NASA’s Curiosity rover. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS<\/p>\n

\"Curiosity\u2019sCuriosity\u2019s tracks in Gale Crater on Mars. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/p>\n

\"AA view of the Murray Buttes region of Mars, captured by the Curiosity rover. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\"AnAn image of ‘sun rays’ or crepuscular rays on Mars, as seen by NASA\u2019s Curiosity Mars rover on 2 February 2023. Credits: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS\/SSI<\/p>\n

\"AA network of in a Martian rock slab known as ‘Old Soaker’ may indicate the drying-out of a mud layer over 3 billion years ago. This view comprises 3 images taken by the MAHLI camera on the arm of NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS<\/p>\n

\"CuriosityCuriosity snaps a selfie \u2013\u00a0CURIOSITY MARS ROVER, 25 OCTOBER 2020. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS<\/p>\n

\"SulphurSulphur crystals on Mars, as seen by Curiosity Mars Rover, 18 July 2024
Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS<\/p>\n

\"MartianMartian bedrock, as seen by Curiosity, 28 March 2025
Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/p>\n

\"ViewView of the region on Mount Sharp where the Mary Anning 3 sample was found. Image captured by Curiosity on 3 February 20219. NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s Curiosity rover has captured its most detailed images yet of unusual spiderweb-like formations on Mars, revealing new…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":943762,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3844],"tags":[70,413,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-943761","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-science","9":"tag-space","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116533263830710364","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/943761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=943761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/943761\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/943762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=943761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=943761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=943761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}