Philip Plait & Richard Hoagland's bad astronomy
• UFOs & Bogus Science
Richard Hoagland sees a giant face on Mars and a mile-long translucent Martian worm. Philip Plait wishes he'd just shut up. From an entertaining look at Hoagland's 'credentials:'
"It's pretty common," Plait said of pareidolia. "Just a few months ago, a water spot on my shower curtain took on the uncanny form of the face of Vladimir Lenin." Plait took a picture of the liquid Lenin and uses it illustrate his contention that, though objects on the surface of Mars can sometimes take on interesting shapes, they are just a bunch of rocks.
"Hoagland's claims irritate me because he is promoting uncritical thinking," Plait said. "He doesn't want you to think about what you're seeing. He's trying to bamboozle you into believing what he's saying."
Scientist attacks alien claims on Mars
Philip Plait's Bad Astronomy