Today is a day for short updates, rather than deep essays. Update number 1: if you’re interested in going to Mars, check out this podcast from Popular Mechanics in which I discuss the challenges astronauts would face living and working on Mars. The magazine will be running a series of articles on the future space travel, including one by me on the Red Planet. (NB: contrary to how PM introduces me, I am not officially “New York Times astrobiology reporter.” The Times just lets me write about life elsewhere when a cool story arises.)