Mars rocks display dragon-scale patterns as Curiosity investigates mystery

NASA’s Curiosity rover captured a surprising concentration of honeycomb-like polygon textures on rocks near Antofagasta crater in Gale Crater, casually dubbed “dragon scales.” Scientists say the dramatic abundance of these polygons—seen in multiple photos taken in early April—could be related to ancient water-related processes or surface drying, but it’s too early to determine formation. The rover will analyze the textures alongside other data to test competing hypotheses, while researchers also note similar polygon patterns elsewhere on Mars and warn against over-interpreting pareidolic shapes.