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This week Inside Science published two stories that are related to Mars. One is about the various dangers a human would encounter enroute to the red planet (imagine muscle atrophy and scorching cosmic radiation). The other story is examines how microbes found in caves might represent one potential way that life could actually exist on Mars. Here, we highlight Yuen Yiu's engaging explanation of how radiation exposure and a lack of gravity could threaten the human body on a months-long journey to Mars. Chris Gorski, Senior Editor High Radiation, Low Gravitation: The Perils of a Trip to Mars Sunscreen and calcium supplements aren't enough to protect Mars-bound space travelers from radiation and a lack of gravity in outer space. By Yuen Yiu, Staff Writer Life in Lava Caves Ignores Food from the Surface, Eats Rock Instead Cave microbes on Earth may help guide scientists toward life on Mars.             By Nala Rogers, Staff Writer Vintage Artwork Fading? Add a Layer of Carbon Atoms for Protection A graphene layer shields an artwork against light, oxygen and moisture, and can be removed using an eraser.                                         By Karen Kwon, Contributor [Video] Meteoroids, Meteors, Meteor Showers and Meteorites Sorting out space rocks and setting the record straight.            By Inside Science Contributor Six Morbidly Fascinating Creatures You Might Find at the Beach By Nala Rogers, Staff Writer                                                                                           How to See Around Corners with a Digital Camera Marcus Woo, Contributor Scientists Crack Spaghetti Snapping Mystery By Charles Q. Choi, Contributor The Olympics without Fans Is Harming Athletes' Performance By Maddie Bender, Scientific American The 2020 Olympics are happening now, in 2021. And yes, they're a bit weird to watch, without the crowds or even families in the stands. It's also strange for the competitors, many of whom have become accustomed to competing in loud, busy venues, which are now nearly empty. That's a further challenge added to the competitors' difficult task of preparing to be at their best during a pandemic. This piece looks at the research connected to peak performance and how the lack of crowds may be contributing to some competitors' struggles.                                                                                                                                                                  A Soil-Science Revolution Upends Plans to Fight Climate Change By Gabriel Popkin, Quanta Magazine It's a good sign when a story starts with a stunner of a sentence. This one begins with "The hope was that the soil might save us." And this one then goes on to explain how researchers are rewriting textbook soil science. The implications could be very important to the understanding of how much carbon soil can keep out of the atmosphere. Why the CDC says it's crucial to start wearing masks indoors again By Tina Hesman Saey, Science News This week, the CDC announced that the surge of coronavirus cases, powered by the more transmissible delta variant, means that people in areas with high or substantial rates of new infections should wear masks when indoors, even if they are vaccinated. This story explains why evaluating the evidence led to the new revised guidance. Read More from Inside Science Copyright 2021 American Institute of Physics. Inside Science syndicates its articles, columns, blogs and videos to news organizations. To initiate syndication, or request permission to republish our content (on a one-time or continuing basis), please contact Inside Science at insidescience@aip.org. News organizations seeking permission to republish Inside Science content must fully credit Inside Science as the original source of the content, include the author byline, and republish the original, unaltered form (excluding content titles, headlines, or sub-headlines). The reprint format can be seen here. Copyright conditions and usage terms are subject to change at any time without consent or any type of prior notice. To unsubscribe from all future mailings from Inside Science please click here. To manage your email subscriptions please click here.

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