As exciting as alien formations on Mars would be, claiming the Face is of extraterestrial origin is like stating Old Faithful was dug by cavemen.

Nature can take a plethora of exotic forms.

We know this from exploring the many natural wonders of our own world, Earth.

That is why we can't jump to an irrational conclusion when faced with an irregular occurance.

You see, from a non-subjective view point, there is no face at all.

There is an area in your brain dedicated to breaking down the world around you and associating it with familiar objects and patterns.

This is why you may see a rabbit amoungst the clouds or a butterfly in an ink-blot test.

When it came to a low-resolution image of Martian rock formation with conveniently placed shadows, it only took a fraction of a second for our brains to automatically associate its appearance with something humans see everyday; a face.

In reality, there's no more of a face in the Face than there is an angel in an abstract painting.

Furthermore, evidence from NASA's most recent expodition has highlighted the Martian formation for what it truly is.

Compliments of rapidly evolving technology, Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) sent in 2001 captured a brilliant, high-quality image of the Face.

With the camera's 1.56 meter per pixel resolution, it greatly shed a more vivid light on the planet in comparison to the original 43 meters per pixel camera used by the Viking 1 in 1976.

Now the formation could be identified as a natural butte or mesa on Mars.

It is very similiar to the rock formations one would find in western regions of the United States.

Since we know such rock forms are created by natural processes such as erosion, the theories of aliens can be firmly put to rest.

I will not completely disperse the possibility of foreign life forms outside of Earth; however, the Face is definitely not a product of an ancient civilization. As new data is gathered about the Red Planet, more anomilies will inevitably arise.

Curiousity is the essance of human nature, so we will undoubtly explore each mystery and may yet come across new signs of life.

Despite being just a rock, the Face had positive effects in sparking the public's interest in Mars. Perhaps one day very soon we'll have humans walking amoung the planet's rust-colored surface, trekking into the unknown.