Lunar Surface Mission Operations Scenario and Considerations

Planetary surface operations have been studied since the last visit of humans to the Moon, including conducting analog missions. Mission Operations lessons from these activities are summarized. Characteristics of forecasted surface operations are compared to current human mission operations approaches. Considerations for future designs of mission operations are assessed

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Oxygen isotope analysis of the eyes of pelagic trilobites : testing the application of sea temperature proxies for the Ordovician

The oxygen isotope composition of well-preserved trilobite eye calcite, retaining its original optical properties, represents a possible source of information on Paleozoic sea temperatures. Species of the epipelagic telephinid genera Carolinites and Opipeuterella from strata of Early to Middle Ordovician age in Spitsbergen and Australia were analyzed, and compared with benthic asaphid species. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), cathodoluminescence (CL), electron microprobe and Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) techniques were used to assess eye preservation prior to isotope analysis. Some apparently well-preserved eyes are identified from the Valhallfonna (Spitsbergen) and Emanuel (Australia) formations. The eyes show a wide variation in δ18O values: −6.2‰ to −9.8‰ for the Valhallfonna Formation, −3.2‰ to −10.4‰ for the Emanuel Formation, and −3.6‰ to −7.4‰ for the Horn Valley Siltstone (Australia). Intra-eye Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) isotope results reveal an even larger range in δ18O in some specimens (δ18O of −2.4‰ to −10.4‰), suggesting that the trilobite eyes have undergone cryptic recrystallization. A sub-set of trilobite cuticle from the three formations were analyzed for their carbonate clumped isotope compositions (Δ47), and yielded crystallization temperatures above 50 °C, consistent with diagenetic alteration. The SIMS and Δ47 results suggest that classic preservation assessment protocols for the stable isotope study of deep-time carbonate samples may be insufficient, especially for these techniques. There is a need for extensive microstructural characterization of lower Paleozoic biogenic carbonates, by techniques including EBSD, SIMS and Δ47, before their stable isotope signatures can be used with certainty in paleoclimate studies