Terrestrial Analogues to Mars and the Moon: Canada’s Role

Terrestrial analogues are places on Earth that approximate, in some respect, the geological, environmental and putative biological conditions on a particular planetary body, either at the present-day or sometime in the past. Analogue studies are driven by the need to understand processes on Earth in order to interpret and groundtruth data sent back from Mars and other planetary bodies by unmanned orbiters and rovers. This presents an ideal opportunity to further collaboration between the solid earth and planetary science communities in Canada and elsewhere. Analogue environments also provide a critical locale for optimizing exploration requirements and strategies for future manned missions to the Moon and Mars. The ideal geography and climate, a wide diversity of analogues sites, and a history of analogue activities, ensures that Canada can play a leading role in the expanding international use of terrestrial analogues sites. SOMMAIRE Les analogues terrestres sont ces endroits sur la Terre qui possède jusqu’à un certain point, les conditions géologiques, environnementales ou biologiques présumées d’un corps céleste, actuelles ou passées. Les études d’analogues terrestres sont nécessaires pour comprendre le fonctionnement de certains processus sur Terre afin de permettre l’interprétation et la validation sur site témoin de données reçues d’orbiteurs non-habités ou de robots mobiles d’exploration. C’est là une occasion idéale d’accentuer la collaboration entre les communautés des sciences planétaires et celles des géosciences au Canada et ailleurs. Les milieux d’analogues constituent aussi des endroits importants permettant d’optimiser les besoins et les stratégies d’exploration de missions habitées vers la lune et Mars. De par ses caractéristiques géographiques et climatiques idéales, sa grande diversité de sites d’analogues, et son histoire d’activités analogues, le Canada est assuré de jouer un rôle de chef de file dans l’utilisation internationale croissante de sites d’analogues terrestres

The Great Round Table: Writing The Land

Transcript from discussion at Olivieri bookstore in Montreal on June 1, 2018. Louis-Karl Picard-Sioui moderated the discussion. Isabelle Courteau, Director of La Maison de la Poésie de Montréal, provided an introduction. Translated by Peter Schulman

Genome-wide profiling of p53-regulated enhancer RNAs uncovers a subset of enhancers controlled by a lncRNA

p53 binds enhancers to regulate key target genes. Here, we globally mapped p53-regulated enhancers by looking at enhancer RNA (eRNA) production. Intriguingly, while many p53-induced enhancers contained p53-binding sites, most did not. As long non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs) are prominent regulators of chromatin dynamics, we hypothesized that p53-induced lncRNAs contribute to the activation of enhancers by p53. Among p53-induced lncRNAs, we identified LED and demonstrate that its suppression attenuates p53 function. Chromatin-binding and eRNA expression analyses show that LED associates with and activates strong enhancers. One prominent target of LED was located at an enhancer region within CDKN1A gene, a potent p53-responsive cell cycle inhibitor. LED knockdown reduces CDKN1A enhancer induction and activity, and cell cycle arrest following p53 activation. Finally, promoter-associated hypermethylation analysis shows silencing of LED in human tumours. Thus, our study identifies a new layer of complexity in the p53 pathway and suggests its dysregulation in cancer

A new classification of Cyperaceae (Poales) supported by phylogenomic data

Cyperaceae (sedges) are the third largest monocot family and are of considerable economic and ecological importance. Sedges represent an ideal model family to study evolutionary biology because of their species richness, global distribution, large discrepancies in lineage diversity, broad range of ecological preferences, and adaptations including multiple origins of C4 photosynthesis and holocentric chromosomes. Goetghebeur’s seminal work on Cyperaceae published in 1998 provided the most recent complete classification at tribal and generic level, based on a morphological study of Cyperaceae inflorescence, spikelet, flower and embryo characters plus anatomical and other information. Since then, several family‐level molecular phylogenetic studies using Sanger sequence data have been published. Here, more than 20 years after the last comprehensive classification of the family, we present the first family‐wide phylogenomic study of Cyperaceae based on targeted sequencing using the Angiosperms353 probe kit sampling 311 accessions. Additionally, 62 accessions available from GenBank were mined for overlapping reads and included in the phylogenomic analyses. Informed by this backbone phylogeny, a new classification for the family at the tribal, subtribal and generic levels is proposed. The majority of previously recognized suprageneric groups are supported, and for the first time we establish support for tribe Cryptangieae as a clade including the genus Koyamaea. We provide a taxonomic treatment including identification keys and diagnoses for the 2 subfamilies, 24 tribes and 10 subtribes and basic information on the 95 genera. The classification includes five new subtribes in tribe Schoeneae: Anthelepidinae, Caustiinae, Gymnoschoeninae, Lepidospermatinae and Oreobolinae. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

A mission control architecture for robotic lunar sample return as field tested in an analogue deployment to the Sudbury impact structure

A Mission Control Architecture is presented for a Robotic Lunar Sample Return Mission which builds upon the experience of the landed missions of the NASA Mars Exploration Program. This architecture consists of four separate processes working in parallel at Mission Control and achieving buy-in for plans sequentially instead of simultaneously from all members of the team. These four processes were: Science Processing, Science Interpretation, Planning and Mission Evaluation. Science Processing was responsible for creating products from data downlinked from the field and is organized by instrument. Science Interpretation was responsible for determining whether or not science goals are being met and what measurements need to be taken to satisfy these goals. The Planning process, responsible for scheduling and sequencing observations, and the Evaluation process that fostered inter-process communications, reporting and documentation assisted these processes. This organization is advantageous for its flexibility as shown by the ability of the structure to produce plans for the rover every two hours, for the rapidity with which Mission Control team members may be trained and for the relatively small size of each individual team. This architecture was tested in an analogue mission to the Sudbury impact structure from June 6-17, 2011. A rover was used which was capable of developing a network of locations that could be revisited using a teach and repeat method. This allowed the science team to process several different outcrops in parallel, downselecting at each stage to ensure that the samples selected for caching were the most representative of the site. Over the course of 10 days, 18 rock samples were collected from 5 different outcrops, 182 individual field activities - such as roving or acquiring an image mosaic or other data product - were completed within 43 command cycles, and the rover travelled over 2,200 m. Data transfer from communications passes were filled to 74%. Sample triage was simulated to allow down-selection to 1kg of material for return to Earth