I believe without reservation that this may be the greatest instance of pareidolia of all time: an ultrasound of a man experiencing epididymo-orchitis, or pain and swelling of a testicle:
Having suffered through a similar (if less traumatic) version of this, may I add that the expression on the man’s, um, "face" is exquisitely accurate.
Tip o’ the codpiece to my Hive Overmind co-blogger Ed Yong on Google+. Original image: Elsevier, Inc.
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The original BA site (with the Moon Hoax debunking, movie reviews, and all that) can be found here.
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November 1st, 2011 at 10:08 am
“Having suffered through a similar (if less traumatic) version ”
That was very nonchalant how you just threw that out there… But I’m afraid to ask… was it maybe Hubble-related? Paint-ball accident?
November 1st, 2011 at 10:12 am
Oh poor guy…looks like he´s suffering
I wonder what people would do if it had been a “virgin mary” instead of a guys face…
November 1st, 2011 at 10:20 am
Never understood how people using ultrasounds can see so much…
November 1st, 2011 at 10:50 am
The title’s cracking me up.
November 1st, 2011 at 11:00 am
I think we found the problem…
November 1st, 2011 at 11:07 am
that’s nuts!
November 1st, 2011 at 11:16 am
Looks like the Yuri Gagarin film..
November 1st, 2011 at 11:26 am
How about the classic by your friends over at NCBI-ROFL of a haunted scrotum?
“On CT scanning of the abdomen and pelvis, the right testis was not identified but the left side of the scrotum seemed to be occupied by a screaming ghost-like apparition (Figure 1).”
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2010/01/22/ncbi-rofl-the-case-of-the-haunted-scrotum/
November 1st, 2011 at 11:31 am
Mother Teresa! It’s a miracle!
November 1st, 2011 at 11:31 am
It looks like an astronaut looking up to me.
November 1st, 2011 at 11:33 am
IT’S A HOMUNCULUS!
“My God! It’s full of stars!”
November 1st, 2011 at 11:34 am
B*******!
November 1st, 2011 at 11:35 am
Comet, Asteroid, whats the difference?
November 1st, 2011 at 11:45 am
@#1 Timmy: That was very nonchalant how you just threw that out there… But I’m afraid to ask… was it maybe Hubble-related? Paint-ball accident?
I second that, Phil
I know you’re probably reluctant to discuss your harbls in public, but now we’re curious. Of course, I’m sure my imagination is a lot more colorful then reality (I’m picturing an America’s Funniest Home Videos-esque incident involving an “unscheduled” ground test deployment of a solar panel or something) 
Actually, are there any columns/essays/books where you go into more detail of your involvement with Hubble, Phil? It sounds absolutely fascinating. And it’d probably disabuse me of my “hypothesis” (I know that very few non-technicians were probably allowed to get near the Hubble on the ground, I’m just goofing around)
November 1st, 2011 at 11:47 am
@4 Bette Noir: “Well, the good news is, that screaming is perfectly normal under the circumstances. The bad news is, it’s not coming from your mouth.”
I smell a body-horror movie script
November 1st, 2011 at 11:50 am
[...] [chron / badastronomy.] [...]
November 1st, 2011 at 12:17 pm
Mantastic!
November 1st, 2011 at 1:14 pm
If only there was a beard-shaped cyst and a worm that looked like a crown of thorns, then this would be huge news! The man could claim he had Jesus in his sac!
November 1st, 2011 at 1:46 pm
Just reading about epididymo-orchitis gave me that face.
November 1st, 2011 at 2:02 pm
I can’t stop laughing and I have so many chores to do. Aaand what do I tell my husband when he asks what is wrong with me?
November 1st, 2011 at 2:06 pm
This is too funny, I wonder who was the first person to put that face after seeing the face on the guy’s testicles. Must to have been hilarious! a fractal face expression. HAHAHA!
November 1st, 2011 at 2:33 pm
@20 katwagner: Lie. Definitely lie. Say you’re laughing at lolcats. The last thing you want is for him to get the idea that you find injured testicles hilarious
November 1st, 2011 at 2:55 pm
It’s pretty uncanny how humans are adept at seeing faces where they don’t exist. When I was a pathologist (I’m retired now) I used to always look at the gallstones in gallbladders, and once I came across a single round gallstone with three dark spots in a triangle, and everyone I showed the gallstone to immediately said ‘it’s a face’ just on the basis of the gallstone being round and having three dots roughly in the right position for eyes and a mouth.
November 1st, 2011 at 3:02 pm
Hey, I suffered that, too. I saw the images in real time, but there was no face in my case!
It´s a bit painful, I don’t recommend it to anyone…
November 1st, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Testicular inflammation,,,boy, do I remember mine,,,taught me not to lift heavy objects with a full bladder,,,(under those conditions, urine can be forced into the testicle. Unsightly and scary)
Gary 7
November 1st, 2011 at 3:37 pm
It’s the face of Boe!! The doctor *is* the real god. I’ve been saying that for years.
November 1st, 2011 at 3:40 pm
so…any idea how the image relates to the, er, anatomy?
November 1st, 2011 at 5:39 pm
Testy testes?
November 1st, 2011 at 6:11 pm
@25 Gary: OUCH. I… er… well, I guess at least I learned something.
Yeeeegh.
November 1st, 2011 at 6:19 pm
Its the whole intra-urethral parturition that freaks me out, boy. I hope they give the poor guy whatever counts as the equivalent of an epidural…
November 1st, 2011 at 9:48 pm
I agree with Jody – first thing I saw was Yuri Gagarin – maybe a charcoal sketch of him done by Edvard Munch.
November 1st, 2011 at 10:08 pm
I, too, have suffered from that condition. The only way I can think of to describe it is having a ultra-sensitive 16-lb. bowling ball hanging down there, causing major pain with the slightest movement. That’s what it feels like. It really is no fun.
November 1st, 2011 at 10:53 pm
I see two faces superimposed. One is side profile, the other is from below the face, looking up.
November 2nd, 2011 at 5:08 am
I see three. Two face left, one right.
November 2nd, 2011 at 8:12 am
So that’s why we call them “the boys.”
November 2nd, 2011 at 8:49 am
29. Joseph G
What I learned was, when loading or un-loading a moving truck,,,pee first,,,
Our bio-mechanics are a classic example of evolution in action, in that it shows a complete lack of anticipation of consequences. Anyone who would worship a god (designer) with such bad engineering sense deserves what they get.
Gary 7
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:24 am
Obviously it can only be a homunculus. Teach the controversy and let the kids decide!
November 2nd, 2011 at 1:54 pm
i’ve seen that face somewhere else… hrm… http://www.zaerion.com/images/rageface.jpg
November 2nd, 2011 at 1:59 pm
@36 Gary: I am making a mental note in extremely large, firm letters. Seriously, I think I broke my mental pencil point pressing too hard.
November 2nd, 2011 at 8:21 pm
Oh wow, that’s a really good pun! I’ve seen this story on quite a few blogs but your title is the only one that made me actually laugh out loud
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:36 pm
The guy had it removed, it was benign. Imagine having to make that decision. Most of us have grown rather attached to those.
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:56 am
39. Joseph G
,,,gotta watch those “pencil points”. They’re Soo fragile,,,
Gary 7
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:54 am
I think there is too MUCH lead in the pencil!
Ivan.
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:46 am
Shake ‘n bake anything, from coffee grounds to cookie batter, and voila: OH! There is something ELSE there!!!!!!!!
No, there isn’t.
There’s something behind the eye though. It’s good at finding familiar patterns. Knowing this is one thing. Getting a c0nstant dose of examples of how good it is at doing it is also tiresome in the extreme.