The Rima Bode Region – Candidate for a Future Lunar Landing Site

Much of our knowledge about the history and evolution of the Moon stems from orbital and laboratory analyses of volcanic materials. Pyroclastics are our best source of information about lunar mantle composition and mineralogy, P/T conditions, and volatiles in the interior. The volatiles in pyroclastic glasses are also relevant for in situ resource utilization (ISRU). Together with mare basalts that originate from comparatively shallower mantle sources, they provide complementary insights into the three-dimensional structure of the lunar interior. Other magmatic deposits bear clues to the crystallization of the magma ocean (e.g., Mg-suite rocks), relating to the formation and global distribution of KREEP. Ages of volcanic deposits, determined via crater sizefrequency distributions (CSFD) and/or radiometric and exposure ages, allow reconstruction of the thermal evolution of the Moon. Other important questions address the ascent and eruption of magmas and the dichotomy of volcanic deposits between the nearside and farside. Evidence for evolved magmas, i.e., domes and silicic pyroclastic deposits is also present on the Moon, providing added key information on the geochemical, mineralogical, and thermal evolution of the Moon

Genome sequencing and analysis of the versatile cell factory Aspergillus niger CBS 513.88

The filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger is widely exploited by the fermentation industry for the production of enzymes and organic acids, particularly citric acid. We sequenced the 33.9-megabase genome of A. niger CBS 513.88, the ancestor of currently used enzyme production strains. A high level of synteny was observed with other aspergilli sequenced. Strong function predictions were made for 6,506 of the 14,165 open reading frames identified. A detailed description of the components of the protein secretion pathway was made and striking differences in the hydrolytic enzyme spectra of aspergilli were observed. A reconstructed metabolic network comprising 1,069 unique reactions illustrates the versatile metabolism of A. niger. Noteworthy is the large number of major facilitator superfamily transporters and fungal zinc binuclear cluster transcription factors, and the presence of putative gene clusters for fumonisin and ochratoxin A synthesis