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| Foto:fictional symbiote |
VISTORBELITUNG.COM,Viral reports from Panama concerning a supposed meteorite containing an alleged living particle resembling a fictional symbiote (often compared to the Marvel character, Venom) have sparked a global debate. However, to date, no official scientific authority or Panamanian academic institution has confirmed that the object is a meteorite or that it harbors an extraterrestrial life form.
Here is a summary of the developments and potential scientific explanations:
The story originated from a TikTok user in Panama who claimed that a rock, supposedly a meteorite that landed in his backyard, began to transform and secrete a sticky, foul-smelling substance. This substance then grew into a dark, tentacle-like mass. The dramatic visuals led many to speculate about an alien origin or a newly unidentified life form.
Despite the social media frenzy, scientists and skeptics have offered several more down-to-earth explanations for the phenomenon:
1. Devil's Fingers Fungus (Clathrus archeri)
The most frequent explanation suggested by biologists and nature enthusiasts is that the growth emerging from the rock is likely a fungus known as Devil's Fingers (Clathrus archeri) or Octopus Stinkhorn.
Growth Process: This fungus begins its life cycle as a small, white or stone-like sac, called an "egg." As it matures, the sac ruptures, releasing red or black tentacle-like structures covered in a foul-smelling spore mass.
Similarity: This growth stage can look "alien" or like a living creature emerging from a rock to the untrained eye, especially in edited video clips. The foul odor claimed by the TikTok user also aligns with the Devil's Fingers fungus's characteristic smell, which it uses to attract insects for spore dispersal.
2. Man-made Chemical (Hoax)
Another explanation suggests the phenomenon may be a setup or a hoax using terrestrial matdispersal
Silicone Polymer: Some internet users, speculating the videos are a hoax, suggested the substance might be a silicone-based polymer called polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mixed with an organic solvent like hexane.
Movement: The strange movements seen in the videos could be explained by a phenomenon called swelling-induced snapping motion, which occurs when the PDMS absorbs the hexane and swells. PDMS is a common material used in practical special effects.
While the story of the "Venom symbiote" on the Panama meteorite is highly captivating and fuels the public imagination about the possibility of Panspermia (the hypothesis that life exists throughout the universe, distributed by meteoroids, asteroids, and planetoids), there is currently no credible scientific evidence to support the claim of alien life or a symbiote on the object. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and so far, scientists lean toward a natural fungal explanation or a clever hoax.