--- title: "New York Times Publishes Then Deletes Article Claiming Watermelons Were Found on Mars" description: "The New York Times recently published an article claiming that fields of watermelons were found on Mars. Learn why the article was deleted." date: "2021-06-08" modified: "2021-06-23" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/new-york-times-watermelons-mars" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "Space" tags: - "journalism" - "mars" - "new york times" --- # New York Times Publishes Then Deletes Article Claiming Watermelons Were Found on Mars ![This afternoon, the New York Times published an article making a surprising claim about exobiology: that watermelons had been discovered on Mars.]() *\Image: Futurism\* The *New York Times* is having a strange day. This afternoon, the prominent newspaper published [an article]() making a surprising claim about exobiology: that watermelons had been discovered on Mars. "Authorities say rise of fruit aliens is to blame for glut of outer space watermelons," read the story, which was deleted less than an hour later. "The FBI declined to comment on reports of watermelons raining down, but confirmed that kiwis have been intercepted." An [archived snapshot]() of the story shows that it was just a stub, with numerous non-sequiturs. "This story is terribly boring," it read in part. The byline on the story was also unfamiliar, attributing the report to "Joe Schmoe." The article disappeared after about an hour, replaced by [a message]() saying it had been "published in error." ![]() ![]() After this story initially ran, a *New York Times* spokesperson provided some clarity about the strange article. "Earlier today, a mock article intended for a testing system was published on our site in error," she told Futurism. "The article has since been removed." In other words, it sounds as though the article appeared as some sort of content management system test that was accidentally made public. Needless to say, there is no currently-available evidence of watermelons, or any other life, on the Red Planet. However, several NASA missions and a rover sent by China are all investigating the possibility of ancient life on our planetary neighbor, and scientists say it is possible that microbial life still lives there, likely deep under the surface. If there's any evidence of fresh produce on the Red Planet, though, it's not yet public. *Updated with additional details.* **More on Mars:** [Why NASA Scientists Are So Excited by New Hints of Organic Compounds on Mars]() ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()