When you see Mars from afar, it’s easy to assume it’s just a smooth red rock, but once you look at the surface, you can find some pretty interesting things. One of the more bizarre sights scientists have seen on Earth’s surface are the so-called “spiders,” which appear as dark blobs surrounded by worm-like perturbations in the soil of Mars. They have been a total mystery to researchers, and since nothing similar exists on Earth, no one could explain how they formed. That is, until now.
A new study published in the journal Scientific reports explains how experiments have led to researchers’ ability to replicate the strange arachnid features here on Earth. It turns out that the spiders are likely a byproduct of changing seasons on Mars. When the temperature changes it can have a dramatic effect on the surface and everything in it, and in this case that means CO2.
Today’s best deal 
Amazon shoppers are going crazy for this 22-piece screwdriver set that retails for just $ 22 Price:$ 21.99 
BGR is available from Amazon and can receive a commission Available at Amazon BGR can receive a commission
The science team began experimenting with things that are already known to exist on Mars, including CO2. The atmosphere of Mars is largely composed of CO2, and when temperatures drop during the Mars winter, that CO2 becomes so cold that it turns into ice. Any CO2 ice on the surface eventually heats up as the seasons change again, and it instantly changes from a solid to a gas through a process known as sublimation.
When testing CO2 sublimation in a “Mars simulation chamber” with different granular substrates, the team found that dry ice that is converted into a gas actually generates a similar pattern.
“The research team drilled holes in the centers of CO2 ice blocks and hung them with a claw similar to the one in arcades, above granular beds of different grain sizes. They lowered the pressure in a vacuum chamber to the atmospheric pressure of Mars (6 mbar) and then used a lever system to place the CO2 ice block on the surface, ”explains a press release in the newspaper.
In any case, once the block was lifted, there was a spin pattern eroded by the escaping gas. The spin patterns were more branched at finer grain sizes and less branched at coarser grain sizes. This is the first set of empirical evidence for this existing surface process. “
Thus, if the surface is much warmer than necessary for sublimation to occur, the outflow of gas from beneath the dry ice will essentially chop out surface material and form the spider-like shapes. But how would the surface reach that temperature if the seasonal changes are so gradual? The researchers hypothesize that sunlight can actually pass through the ice and heat the soil underneath.
It all makes sense, but without actually seeing the process play on the surface, the researchers can’t be 100% sure that their theories are correct.
Today’s best deal 
This $ 32 gadget went viral on TikTok, and now Amazon can’t keep it in stock! List price:$ 35.99 Price:$ 32.39 You save:$ 3.60 (10%) BGR is available from Amazon and can receive a commission Available at Amazon BGR can receive a commission
Mike Wehner has been reporting on technology and video games for the past decade, covering the latest news and trends in VR, wearables, smartphones and future technology. Most recently, Mike worked as a Tech Editor at The Daily Dot, appearing in USA Today, Time.com, and numerous other web and print outlets. His love of reporting comes second to his gaming addiction.