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

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

Genome wide analysis of gene dosage in 24,092 individuals estimates that 10,000 genes modulate cognitive ability

International audienceGenomic copy number variants (CNVs) are routinely identified and reported back to patients with neuropsychiatric disorders, but their quantitative effects on essential traits such as cognitive ability are poorly documented. We have recently shown that the effect size of deletions on cognitive ability can be statistically predicted using measures of intolerance to haploinsufficiency. However, the effect sizes of duplications remain unknown. It is also unknown if the effect of multigenic CNVs are driven by a few genes intolerant to haploinsufficiency or distributed across tolerant genes as well. Here, we identified all CNVs > 50 kilobases in 24,092 individuals from unselected and autism cohorts with assessments of general intelligence. Statistical models used measures of intolerance to haploinsufficiency of genes included in CNVs to predict their effect size on intelligence. Intolerant genes decrease general intelligence by 0.8 and 2.6 points of intelligence quotient when duplicated or deleted, respectively. Effect sizes showed no heterogeneity across cohorts. Validation analyses demonstrated that models could predict CNV effect sizes with 78% accuracy. Data on the inheritance of 27,766 CNVs showed that deletions and duplications with the same effect size on intelligence occur de novo at the same frequency. We estimated that around 10,000 intolerant and tolerant genes negatively affect intelligence when deleted, and less than 2% have large effect sizes. Genes encompassed in CNVs were not enriched in any GOterms but gene regulation and brain expression were GOterms overrepresented in the intolerant subgroup. Such pervasive effects on cognition may be related to emergent properties of the genome not restricted to a limited number of biological pathways

Contrôle hydrodynamique de l'avalaison des œufs et des larves de poulamon atlantique

Les poulamons de la rivière Sainte-Anne frayent dans un secteur de rapides, situé à environ 7 km de la confluence avec le fleuve Saint-Laurent, et probablement aussi dans un secteur d'accumulation de frasil généré par ces rapides. Les variations interannuelles dans la dérive des œufs et des larves de poulamon, à différentes stations dans la rivière, sont reliées aux conditions annuelles de température de l'air et de débit. Des températures et débits bas et stables ont causé la rétention des œufs et des larves dans la partie amont du secteur d'étude (1980–1981, 1981–1982); les températures et débits plus élevés et variables ont causé une dérive régulière au fleuve Saint-Laurent de janvier à avril (1982–1983). En 1980–1981, une hausse soudaine de la température et du débit a causé une avalaison massive des œufs au Saint-Laurent durant la seconde moitié de février. Des œufs de poulamon sont retenus et incubés dans le frasil, qui s'accumule en un barrage suspendu pouvant s'étendre, selon les années, sur plus de 3 km de rivière. Peu de temps après la fraye, la densité moyenne d'œufs par 2 l de ce substrat, sur l'ensemble du barrage suspendu, atteignait 228 en 1981 (19 janvier), 235 en 1982 (6 février), et 54 en 1983 (15 février). Les variations interannuelles dans la distribution spatiotemporelle des œufs dans le frasil concordent avec celles suggérées par les résultats de la dérive

Isolation of a cDNA Representing the Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group E Gene

Fanconi anemia (FA) is an autosomal recessive chromosomal instability syndrome with at least seven different complementation groups. Four FA genes (FANCA, FANCC, FANCF, and FANCG) have been identified, and two other FA genes (FANCD and FANCE) have been mapped. Here we report the identification, by complementation cloning, of the gene mutated in FA complementation group E (FANCE). FANCE has 10 exons and encodes a novel 536–amino acid protein with two potential nuclear localization signals