Extraterrestrial Helium Trapped in Fullerenes in the Sudbury Impact Structure

Fullerenes (C60 and C70) in the Sudbury impact structure contain trapped helium with a He-3/He-4 ratio of 5.5 x 10(exp -4) to 5.9 x 10(exp -4). The He-3/He-4 ratio exceeds the accepted solar wind value by 20 to 30 percent and is higher by an order of magnitude than the maximum reported mantle value. Terrestrial nuclear reactions or cosmic-ray bombardment are not sufficient to generate such a high ratio. The He-3/He-4 ratios in the Sudbury fullerenes are similar to those found in meteorites and in some interplanetary dust particles. The implication is that the helium within the C60 molecules at Sudbury is of extraterrestrial origin

Complete homochirality induced by the nonlinear autocatalysis and recycling

A nonlinear autocatalysis of a chiral substance is shown to achieve homochirality in a closed system, if the back-reaction is included. Asymmetry in the concentration of two enantiomers or the enantiometric excess increases due to the nonlinear autocatalysis. Furthermore, when the back-reaction is taken into account, the reactant supplied by the decomposition of the enantiomers is recycled to produce more and more the dominant one, and eventually the homochirality is established.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

AMINO ACID ANALYSES OF THE ANTARCTIC CM2 METEORITES ALH 83100 AND LEW 90500 USING LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY-TIME OF FLIGHT-MASS SPECTROMETRY

The investigation of organic compounds in primitive carbonaceous meteorites provides a record of the chemical processes that occurred in the early solar system. In particular, amino acids have been shown to be potential indicators in tracing the nature of carbonaceous chondrite parent bodies [ 13. The delivery of amino acids by carbonaceous chondrites to the early Earth could have been any important source of the Earth's prebiotic organic inventory [2]. Over 80 different amino acids have been detected in the Murchison CM2 meteorite, most of them completely non-existent in the terrestrial biosphere [3]. We have optimized a new liquid chromatography-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LC-ToF-MS) technique coupled with OPAMAC derivatization in order to detect amino acids in meteorite extracts by UV fluorescence and exact mass simultaneously. The detection limit of the LC-ToF-MS instrument for amino acids is at least 3 orders of magnitude lower than traditional GC-MS techniques. Here we report on the first analyses of amino acids and their enantiomeric abundances in the CM2 carbonaceous meteorites ALH 83100, LEW 90500, and Murchison using this new LC-ToF-MS instrument configuration. Amino acid analyses of any kind for the CM meteorite ALH 83100 have not previously been reported

Amino Acid Stability in the Early Oceans

It is likely that a variety of amino acids existed in the early oceans of the Earth at the time of the origin and early evolution of life. "Primordial soup", hydrothermal vent, and meteorite based processes could have contributed to such an inventory. Several "protein" amino acids were likely present, however, based on prebiotic synthesis experiments and carbonaceous meteorite studies, non-protein amino acids, which are rare on Earth today, were likely the most abundant. An important uncertainty is the length of time these amino acids could have persisted before their destruction by abiotic and biotic processes. Prior to life, amino acid concentrations in the oceans were likely regulated by circulation through hydro-thermal vents. Today, the entire ocean circulates through vent systems every 10(exp 7) years. On the early Earth, this value was likely smaller due to higher heat flow and thus marine amino acid life-time would have been shorter. After life, amino acids in the oceans could have been assimilated by primitive organisms

Homochiral growth through enantiomeric cross-inhibition

The stability and conservation properties of a recently proposed polymerization model are studied. The achiral (racemic) solution is linearly unstable once the relevant control parameter (here the fidelity of the catalyst) exceeds a critical value. The growth rate is calculated for different fidelity parameters and cross-inhibition rates. A chirality parameter is defined and shown to be conserved by the nonlinear terms of the model. Finally, a truncated version of the model is used to derive a set of two ordinary differential equations and it is argued that these equations are more realistic than those used in earlier models of that form.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. (accepted

Caracterización de aceite de semilla de manzanas con Denominación de Origen de Asturias, España

The content and composition of lipids isolated from the seeds of seven apple species from Asturias (Spain) were characterized. The highest content in oil corresponded to Collao (22.73±0.81 g·100 g-1 of seed), followed by Raxao and Riega (20.19±0.74 g·100 g-1 of seed; 19.67±0.85 g·100 g-1 of seed), respectively. The linoleic acid was found to be the main component in Limón Montés (60.78±3.07%) followed by Riega (60.01±3.41%). Solarina seed oil was the one with the highest content in total sterols (558.52±9.42 mg·100 g-1 of oil) while Blanquina was the one that presents the lowest amount (166.55±1.89 mg·100 g-1 of oil). Phosphatidylcholine (70.58±3.85%) was found to be the main constituent in Blanquina followed by Collaos (55.55±2.96%). Raxao presented the highest content in β-tocopherol (125.29±12.62) and α-tocopherol was the most important tocopherol in Limón Montés (84.68±5.61 mg·kg-1 of oil). The main triglycerides were LLP (41.17±1.98-39.32±1.66%) followed by LLL (27.12±1.32−17.80±1.96%). Good separation among specie samples according to the statistical analysis of the principal component (PCs) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was obtained.Se ha caracterizado el contenido y composición de los lípidos aislados de semillas de siete especies de manzanas de Asturias (España). El contenido más alto en aceite correspondió a Collao (22.73±0.81 g·100 g-1 de semilla), seguida de Raxao y Riega (20.19±0.74 g·100 g-1 de semilla y 19.67±0.85 g·100 g-1 de semilla) respectivamente. El ácido linoleico fué el de mayor contenido en Limón Montés (60.78±3.07%) seguido por la Riega (60.01±3.41%). El contenido más alto en esteroles correspondió a Solarina (558.52±9.42 mg·100 g-1 de aceite) mientras que Blanquina fué el que presentó los valores más bajo (166.55±1.89 mg·100 g-1 de aceite). Fosfatidilcolina (70.58±3.85% del total FL) fué el principal constituyente en Blanquina seguida por Collao (55.55±2.96% del total FL). Raxao presentó el contenido más alto en β-tocoferol (125.29±12.62 mg·Kg-1 de aceite) y α-tocoferol en Limón Montés (84.68±5.61 mg·Kg-1 de aceite). Los triglicéridos principales fueron LLP (41.17±1.98-39.32±1.66%) seguido de LLL (27.12±1.32−17.80±1.96%). Se obtuvo una buena separación entre las distintas variedades de manzana teniendo en cuenta el análisis estadístico de los principales componentes (PCs) y el análisis discriminante linear (LDA)

MOD: an organic detector for the future robotic exploration

Abstract Searching for extinct or extant life on Mars is part of the future NASA surveyor class missions. Looking for key organic compounds that are essential for biochemistry as we know it or indicative of extraterrestrial organic in ux is the primary goal of the Mars Organic Detector (MOD). MOD is able to detect amino acids, amines and PAHs with at least 100 times higher sensitivity than the Viking GCMS experiment. MOD is not capable of identifying speciÿc organic molecules but can assess the organic inventory of amines and PAHs on the planet. MOD can also quantify adsorbed and chemisorbed water and evolved carbon dioxide in a stepped heating cycle to determine speciÿc carbon-bearing minerals. All that comes with no sample preparation and no wet chemistry. The organics can be isolated from the carrier matrix by heating the sample and recovering the volatile organics on a cold ÿnger. This sublimation technique can be used for extracting amino acids, amines and PAHs under Mars ambient conditions. The detection of amino acids, amines and PAHs is based on a uorescence detection scheme. The MOD concept has functioned as a laboratory breadboard since 1998. A number of natural samples including shells, clays, bones, -DNA and E.-coli bacteria have been used and organic molecules have been extracted successfully in each case. The ÿrst prototype of MOD is operational as of early fall of 1999. MOD has been selected for the deÿnition phase of the NASA-MS

Prenatal Opioid Exposure and Intermittent Hypoxemia in Preterm Infants: A Retrospective Assessment

Introduction: Intermittent hypoxemia (IH) is defined as episodic drops in oxygen saturation (SpO2). Preterm infants are at increased risk for IH due to their immature respiratory control/apnea of prematurity. The clinical relevance of IH is a relatively new observation with rising evidence linking IH to neonatal morbidities and long-term impairment. Hence, assessing factors that influence IH in preterm infants is imperative. Given the epidemic of opioid misuse in the USA, there is an urgent need to understand the impact of prenatal opioid exposure on neonatal outcomes. Hence, we wanted to assess the relationship between isolated prenatal opioid exposure and IH in preterm infants. Methods: In order to accurately calculate IH, SpO2 data were prospectively collected using high-resolution pulse oximeters during the first 8 weeks of life in preterm infants less than 30 weeks gestational age. Data related to prenatal opioid misuse were retrospectively collected from medical charts. Infants with tobacco or poly-drug exposure were excluded. The primary outcome measure is percent time spent with SpO2 below 80% (%time-SpO2 \u3c 80). The secondary outcome measure is the number of severe IH events/week with SpO2 less than 80% (IH-SpO2 \u3c 80). Results: A total of 82 infants with isolated opioid exposure (n = 14) or who were unexposed (n = 68) were included. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between opioid exposed and unexposed groups. There was a statistically significant increase of 0.23 (95% CI: 0.03, 0.43, p = 0.03) in mean of the square root of %time-SpO2 \u3c 80. The number of IH-SpO2 \u3c 80 events was higher in the opioid exposed group (mean difference = 2.95, 95% CI: −0.35, 6.25, p-value = 0.08), although statistical significance was not quite attained. Conclusion: This study shows that preterm infants prenatally exposed to opioids have increased IH measures compared to unexposed infants. Interestingly, the increased IH in the opioid exposed group persists beyond the immediate postnatal period

On the Theory of Evolution Versus the Concept of Evolution: Three Observations

Here we address three misconceptions stated by Rice et al. in their observations of our article Paz-y-Miño and Espinosa (Evo Edu Outreach 2:655–675, 2009), published in this journal. The five authors titled their note “The Theory of Evolution is Not an Explanation for the Origin of Life.” First, we argue that it is fallacious to believe that because the formulation of the theory of evolution, as conceived in the 1800s, did not include an explanation for the origin of life, nor of the universe, the concept of evolution would not allow us to hypothesize the possible beginnings of life and its connections to the cosmos. Not only Stanley Miller’s experiments of 1953 led scientists to envision a continuum from the inorganic world to the origin and diversification of life, but also Darwin’s own writings of 1871. Second, to dismiss the notion of Rice et al. that evolution does not provide explanations concerning the universe or the cosmos, we identify compelling scientific discussions on the topics: Zaikowski et al. (Evo Edu Outreach 1:65–73, 2008), Krauss (Evo Edu Outreach 3:193–197, 2010), Peretó et al. (Orig Life Evol Biosph 39:395–406, 2009) and Follmann and Brownson (Naturwissenschaften 96:1265–1292, 2009). Third, although we acknowledge that the term Darwinism may not be inclusive of all new discoveries in evolution, and also that creationists and Intelligent Designers hijack the term to portray evolution as ideology, we demonstrate that there is no statistical evidence suggesting that the word Darwinism interferes with public acceptance of evolution, nor does the inclusion of the origin of life or the universe within the concept of evolution. We examine the epistemological and empirical distinction between the theory of evolution and the concept of evolution and conclude that, although the distinction is important, it should not compromise scientific logic

Mars Sample Handling and Requirements Panel (MSHARP)

In anticipation of the return of samples from Mars toward the end of the first decade of the next century, NASA's Office of Space Sciences chartered a panel to examine how Mars samples should be handled. The panel was to make recommendations in three areas: (1) sample collection and transport back to Earth; (2) certification of the samples as nonhazardous; and (3) sample receiving, curation, and distribution. This report summarizes the findings of that panel. The samples should be treated as hazardous until proven otherwise. They are to be sealed within a canister on Mars, and the canister is not to be opened until within a Biosafety Hazard Level 4 (BSL-4) containment facility here on Earth. This facility must also meet or exceed the cleanliness requirements of the Johnson Space Center (JSC) facility for curation of extraterrestrial materials. A containment facility meeting both these requirements does not yet exist. Hazard assessment and life detection experiments are to be done at the containment facility, while geochemical characterization is being performed on a sterilized subset of the samples released to the science community. When and if the samples are proven harmless, they are to be transferred to a curation facility, such as that at JSC