Science Times: NASA Sends a Secret Message to Mars

Plus: Why Are Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos So Interested in Space?

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story March 2, 2021 NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA Sent a Secret Message to Mars. Meet the People Who Decoded It. Engineers hinted they had hidden a code in the parachute that landed the Perseverance rover. Within hours, puzzle enthusiasts cracked it. By Kenneth Chang NASA/JPL-Caltech, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Out There Once Upon a Time on Mars A dune buggy is about to set off on behalf of its human owners to fulfill a primordial yearning. By Dennis Overbye NASA, ESA, T. Brown, S. Casertano, and J. Anderson Out There Hunting for a Giant Black Hole, Astronomers Found a Nest of Darkness No Gargantua dwells at the heart of stellar cluster NGC 6397. Instead, a few dozen smaller black holes seem to be swarming around in there, throwing their considerable masses around. By Dennis Overbye Joe Skipper/Reuters Why Are Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos So Interested in Space? We the people need to take more control of how we move into the brave new worlds beyond our planet. By Kara Swisher Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Email us Let us know how we're doing at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com. If you've found this newsletter helpful, please consider subscribing to The New York Times — with this special offer. Your support makes our work possible. THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK Gracia Lam Personal Health Why I Overcame My Vaccine Hesitancy The more people who become immune to the virus, the less this scourge will be able to mutate and evade the vaccines already available. By Jane E. Brody Raphael Alves/EPA, via Shutterstock Matter Virus Variant in Brazil Infected Many Who Had Already Recovered From Covid-19 The first detailed studies of the so-called P.1 variant show how it devastated a Brazilian city. Now scientists want to know what it will do elsewhere. By Carl Zimmer Lyndon French for The New York Times The Coronavirus Is Threatening a Comeback. Here's How to Stop It. Many scientists are expecting another rise in infections. But this time the surge will be blunted by vaccines and, hopefully, widespread caution. By summer, Americans may be looking at a return to normal life. By Apoorva Mandavilli Jim Wilson/The New York Times A Covid Vaccine Side Effect, Enlarged Lymph Nodes, Can Be Mistaken for Cancer The condition is becoming more common as immunization rates increase. Experts are suggesting ways to ease patients' fears and avoid needless testing. By Denise Grady Etienne Laurent/EPA, via Shutterstock New Findings on 2 Ways Children Become Seriously Ill From the Coronavirus A large study found that young people hospitalized with acute Covid-19 have symptoms and characteristics that differ from those with a Covid-linked inflammatory syndrome. By Pam Belluck Seth Herald/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Transplant Patient Dies After Receiving Lungs Infected With Coronavirus In what appears to be the first case of its kind, a pair of donated lungs led to Covid-19 in an organ recipient, according to doctors at the University of Michigan. By Jacey Fortin The New York Times Why Opening Windows Is a Key to Reopening Schools A simulation of airflow in a real New York City classroom shows how simple ventilation and filtration can reduce the probability of coronavirus exposure. By Nick Bartzokas, Mika Gröndahl, Karthik Patanjali, Miles Peyton, Bedel Saget and Umi Syam Lindsey Shuey/Republican-Herald, via Associated Press C.D.C. Traces Covid Outbreaks in Gyms, Urging Stricter Precautions Coronavirus cases at fitness centers in Chicago and Honolulu were linked to carelessness about masks and symptoms, federal health officials found. By Roni Caryn Rabin Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT MORE SCIENCE NEWS Unlocking History Research Group New Technique Reveals Centuries of Secrets in Locked Letters M.I.T. researchers have devised a virtual-reality technique that lets them read old letters that were mailed not in envelopes but in the writing paper itself after being folded into elaborate enclosures. By William J. Broad The Natural History Museum, London / Science Source Neanderthals Listened to the World Much Like Us A reconstructed Neanderthal ear adds a new piece to the puzzle of whether the early humans could speak. By Sabrina Imbler Millard H. Sharp/Science Source The Outsized Influence of Teen T. Rex and Other Young Dinosaurs A deep dive into dinosaur data suggests that teenage T. rexes and other juvenile carnivores shaped their ecosystems. By Cara Giaimo   Trilobites Can This New Map Fix Our Distorted Views of the World? You're going to need some double-sided tape. By Joshua Sokol Trilobites This Bird Wasn't Seen for 170 Years. Then It Appeared in an Indonesian Forest. The black-browed babbler has long been one of Indonesia's most enigmatic birds. By Rachel Nuwer Trilobites Manatees May Carry Half a Million Microscopic Hitchhikers Unexpected species of nematodes, some of them new to science, were found living on the skin of the marine mammals. By Ellie Shechet Need a Book With That Spider? The discovery of Mediterranean recluse spiders at the University of Michigan prompted a two-day closure of one of its libraries. By Christine Hauser For Shielding Endangered Neighbors, Pandas Make Flimsy Umbrellas A new study challenges a common hypothesis about how protecting charismatic species also conserves animals that are less well known. By Rachel Nuwer Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT HEALTH John Minchillo/Associated Press High Staff Turnover at U.S. Nursing Homes Poses Risks for Residents' Care A new study highlights the persistent problems caused by an unstable work force, an underlying threat that may have led to staggering death tolls in the pandemic. By Reed Abelson Yifan Wu The Checkup Diagnosing Autism in the Pandemic Autism spectrum disorder is often suspected when young children stand out as being different from their peers. That can be much harder in this isolated time. By Perri Klass, M.D. Johnathon Kelso for The New York Times This Drug Gets You High, and Is Legal (Maybe) Across the Country A once-ignored derivative of hemp has become a hot seller for people looking for a loophole around marijuana laws. By Matt Richtel Samuel S. Urlacher, Ph.D. Phys Ed Exercise vs. Diet? What Children of the Amazon Can Teach Us About Weight Gain What we eat may be more important than how much we move when it comes to fighting obesity. By Gretchen Reynolds Getty Images Children Are Consuming Hand Sanitizer. Here's How to Keep Them Safe. During the pandemic, there was a dramatic increase in exposures to hand sanitizer reported among kids under 6, U.S. poison center data shows. By Christina Caron Illustration by Ori Toor Studies Show A Better Way to Zap Our Brains New research suggests that stimulating neurons in the brain can address psychological issues with surprising speed and precision. By Kim Tingley Make a friend's day: Forward this email. Got this from a friend? Subscribe to the Science Times newsletter. Check out other New York Times newsletters (all free!) including: Climate Fwd: for climate coverage and expert analysis. The Upshot for a data-driven look at the news. Well for the latest on health, fitness and nutrition. 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