Will humans make it to Mars this decade?

Plus: Scientists just found mountains of sugar hidden beneath the ocean May 07, 2022 [View in browser]( When it comes to space exploration, there are no shortages of goals and destinations. But Mars has always been one of the most prominent ones. Now, the president of SpaceX has predicted that humanity will touch ground on the Red Planet by the end of this decade. To achieve this ambitious mission, the company will use its new Starship that is planned to take crew and cargo to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. While we’ll be keeping track of the developments, time will show how it will go. Have you ever wondered what an egg being shot by a bullet would look like in slow motion? I don’t think you have but the result is very dramatic and definitely worth seeing. Good morning. This is Mert, an editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Let's get started. [Video]VIDEO OF THE DAY [Watch a bullet shooting through an egg at one million frames per second]( Do you like your eggs shot in slow motion? [Watch a bullet shooting through an egg at one million frames per second]( SCIENCE [SpaceX president says humans will make it to Mars this decade]( [Astronaut on planet Mars (right), Mars (left)]( - In December 2021, Elon Musk predicted that humans will be on Mars within a decade. Now, SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell [told CNBC]( Shepard Smith on Saturday that [humanity will touch ground on the Red Planet]( before the end of the 2020s. A large delivery to the surface of Mars. "I think it will be in this decade, yes. People on the moon, sooner," Shotwell said. "I think we need to get a large delivery to the surface of Mars, and then people will start thinking harder about it," she added. "And then, I think within five or six years, people will see that that will be a real place to go." How do the ambitious executives plan to make it to Mars? Aboard their new ship: Starship. Starship is designed to be the first reusable spacecraft that will be able to take crew and cargo to the Moon and Mars before returning to Earth and it is so advanced that it supposedly has got the competition worried. Could this be our ticket to Mars? [Read More]( SCIENCE [Scientists just found mountains of sugar hidden beneath the ocean]( [ocean]( - Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology reported in a [study published in the journal]( Nature Eco­logy & Evol­u­tion that [seagrasses release colossal amounts of sugar into their soils](. Under the seagrass, sugar concentrations were unexpectedly at least 80 times higher than previously measured in marine environments. “To put this into perspective: We estimate that worldwide there are between 0.6 and 1.3 million tons of sugar, mainly in the form of sucrose, in the seagrass rhizosphere”, explains Manuel Liebeke, head of the Research Group Metabolic Interactions at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, in a press release. “That is roughly comparable to the amount of sugar in 32 billion cans of coke!” You may wonder why sucrose is stored in the seabed rather than being consumed by the billions of millions of microorganisms in the rhizosphere. After all, microbes love sugar since it’s easy to digest and full of energy. Researchers behind the study were also puzzled over that question. Status: Endangered. The study highlights the sheer importance of seagrass meadows: Even though they are carbon storage powerhouses that can help with our climate woes, they are also some of the most threatened habitats on Earth. [Read More]( SCIENCE [The pig heart that was transplanted to a human was infected with a pig virus]( [The heart surgery in progress.]( Earlier this year, 57-year-old David Bennet made history when he became the first human to receive a pig's heart in a transplant. While the procedure was successful, Bennet did not survive very long and passed away after two months. - Now, investigations into the cause of his death have revealed that the transplanted [heart had a pig virus infection]( which could have led to Bennet's death, [MIT Technology Review reported](. How was the virus not detected? The company behind the technology, Revivicor, has gone to great lengths to ensure that the donor organ was not rejected by the host's immune system. Its procedure included editing over 10 genes that remove traces of its porcine origin and adding elements that make it look more human to the immune cells. However, amidst all these details, the company apparently did not test thoroughly for porcine cytomegalovirus. Previous research has shown that xenotransplants have lasted only a few weeks in baboons if the virus was present while lasting almost half a year when it was not. Researchers think that the virus multiplies unchecked since the host’s immunity is compromised and at sufficiently high levels causing a cytokine explosion, a hyperactive immune response. [Read More]( MAIL & MUSINGS The first human to receive a pig's heart in a transplant survived only for two months. Do you think animal-to-human transplants will be safe one day? Be sure you check back tomorrow for the results! [Of course! Science learns from mistakes.]( [No way. It’ll always be so risky.]( [Even if they will, it’s a path that will take a long time and be full of complications.]( [I’m not sure, but science is here to surprise us.]( Yesterday’s Results Yesterday we asked if you think Elon Musk will manage to realize his plans for Twitter. 38% of the participants think he will and say he’s on the right track while 31% believe he has no idea what he is getting himself into. Yes! He’s on the right track. 38% Elon has no idea what he is getting himself into. He’ll realize that. 31% It's what Twitter needs either way. 16% Nope. He’ll get bored soon. 14% QUOTE OF THE DAY “ There was a time when we wanted to be told what an electron is. The question was never answered. No familiar conceptions can be woven around the electron; it belongs to the waiting list. ” Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington in “The Nature Of The Physical World” THINGS WE LOVE - Is it possible to relax and reach the utmost comfort while working from home? With these [best home office essentials]( it indeed is. - Surprise yourself with the ranges that your internet connection can reach with the [best wifi extenders in the market]( so far. AND ANOTHER THING... - Astronomers have discovered a [rapidly growing black hole]( from the early days of the Universe. - Certain [gut microbes may affect stroke risk]( severity, scientists find. (The Guardian) - A new solar aircraft might [stay in the air for an entire year]( without landing. - Researchers are now able to [predict battery lifetimes with machine learning](. (TechXplore) - [Where is Jack Ma]( and what's the reason behind Alibaba's stock crash? - There are only [10 of the world's smallest marine mammals]( left in the world. (CNN) - This 'family tree' tells the story of [how a cancerous tumor grew](. Prepared by Loukia Papadopoulos and Mert Erdemir Enjoy reading? Don't forget to forward to a friend! Was this email forwarded to you? 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