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Arthur C. Clarke’s Banyan Trees of Mars: Martian Civilization Evidence

In this image below, Arthur C. Clarke, popular author and scientist, argued Mars was showing very obvious indications of plant life…

He said there was an eerie similarity 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.

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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Martian Spiders

Above is a high resolution (hi-rise) image of Arthur’s Banyan trees.