It’s easy to forget that it’s April 1 — many people are likely falling for April Fools’ Day jokes left and right. We’ll admit we kind of fell for this one, even if only for a brief second.
Shoe brand Vibram circulated a press release early this morning, claiming that new photos from the Mars Rover show what appear to be human footprints on the planet. The brand also claimed that the photo has been sent to shoe specialists in Milan to research whether barefoot traction — like that offered in Vibram’s Five Fingers shoes — could be useful on Mars.
Read Vibram’s release below:
CONCORD, Mass. (April 1, 2016) — Scientists in Massachusetts are looking closely at a new photo recently published from the Mars Rover. The magnified photo appears to show an outline of a human footprint. The footprint shows up near the Aeolis quadrangle on Mars. Among all the controversy, one of the most significant is the bare footprint itself.
“Certainly a human footprint on Mars raises thousands of questions,” says Wyatt Aminutte, a phenomenon specialist near Salt Lake City, Utah. “Even more interesting, or concerning is that a bare footprint raises questions here on Earth.” The human footprint is millions of years old and is credited as a main differentiator between humans and other homonids.
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Scientists agree that balance, movement, strength, and alignment are all component support services derived from the human foot. Today, many health and fitness conscience people understand the importance of a strong human foot. This could be why scientists are not ruling out a human footprint as the best form of movement on Mars.
The photo has not been verified by NASA or SPACEX, only a few scientists have seen this rare print. The photo has been sent to footwear specialists in Milan, Italy to verify if bare foot traction on Mars could be as beneficial as it is on Earth.
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This isn’t the first April Fools’ joke to have come our way. Last year, Miz Mooz said it had created a new “Selfie Shoe” that allows the wearer to insert a phone into the toe of the shoe to take a selfie, hands-free. Reebok also claimed that it was releasing a new fragrance called “Swět” that lets the wearer smell like sweat any time.
