What a silly analogy is the substance isn't jelly-like. If it's rock-like I'd call it more of a target.
More Manganese = potential life related stuff:
http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/research/centers-institutes/environmental-health/news/nsf-ddig-grant.cfm
More Manganese = potential life related stuff:
Smythe studies the biogeochemistry and microbiology of Mn depositing hot springs to characterize a possibly ancient group of microorganisms and geochemical processes that may have occurred in early Earth environments. Manganese was a critical element in primitive metabolic processes and a key metal as the Earth transitioned from its early anoxic atmosphere to the our present oxic one.
Studies of the geomicrobiology of Mn oxide depositing hot springs will add an important component to the scientific understanding of the overall diversity of these extreme habitats and provide new insights into the role Mn-oxidizing and -reducing microorganisms contribute to Mn oxide mineral formation and preservation.
http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/research/centers-institutes/environmental-health/news/nsf-ddig-grant.cfm