Pareidolia of the day: Face of foreboding

Here’s an interesting one: a face in a testicular tumor.

The image of the man’s face, seemingly in some distress, was sent to Urology, the International Society of Urology’s official journal, and was published in the journal’s September volume. G. Gregory Roberts and Naji J. Touma, from Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, had conducted the ultrasound to examine an unusual mass in the testicle of a 45-year-old patient. Writing in the journal, they said: “The residents and staff alike were amazed to see the outline of a man’s face staring up out of the image, his mouth agape as if the face seen on the ultrasound scan itself was also experiencing severe epididymo-orchitis,” wrote the authors, referring to an inflammatory condition.

The article notes that no religious significance was attached to the image, as is often the case when faces appear pretty much anywhere else– doors, underpasses, grilled cheese sandwiches, and so on. I can’t help but wonder whether the reason for that might be the unfortunate location of this appearance. What person would want to believe that a higher power deliberately placed the image of a face on something like a tumor? Especially a face with….well, an expression like that?