Carbonates are generally products of aqueous processes and may hold important clues about the history of liquid water on the surface of Mars. Calcium carbonate (approximately 3 to 5 weight percent) ...has been identified in the soils around the Phoenix landing site by scanning calorimetry showing an endothermic transition beginning around 725°C accompanied by evolution of carbon dioxide and by the ability of the soil to buffer pH against acid addition. Based on empirical kinetics, the amount of calcium carbonate is most consistent with formation in the past by the interaction of atmospheric carbon dioxide with liquid water films on particle surfaces.
Modified clay minerals on Mars
Sedimentary rocks exposed in Gale crater on Mars contain extensive clay minerals. Bristow
et al.
analyzed drill samples collected by the Curiosity rover as it climbed ...up sedimentary layers in the crater. They found evidence of past reactions with liquid water and sulfate brines, which could have percolated through the clay from an overlying sulfate deposit. Similar sulfate deposits are widespread across the planet and represent some of the last sedimentary rocks to form before the planet lost its surface liquid water, so the results inform our understanding of the geologic processes that occurred as Mars dried out.
Science, abg5449, this issue p.
198
Clay minerals examined by the Curiosity rover contain evidence of reactions with sulfate brines as Mars dried out.
Mars’ sedimentary rock record preserves information on geological (and potential astrobiological) processes that occurred on the planet billions of years ago. The
Curiosity
rover is exploring the lower reaches of Mount Sharp, in Gale crater on Mars. A traverse from Vera Rubin ridge to Glen Torridon has allowed
Curiosity
to examine a lateral transect of rock strata laid down in a martian lake ~3.5 billion years ago. We report spatial differences in the mineralogy of time-equivalent sedimentary rocks <400 meters apart. These differences indicate localized infiltration of silica-poor brines, generated during deposition of overlying magnesium sulfate–bearing strata. We propose that destabilization of silicate minerals driven by silica-poor brines (rarely observed on Earth) was widespread on ancient Mars, because sulfate deposits are globally distributed.
Chemotherapy-induced damage of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) causes multi-lineage myelosuppression. Trilaciclib is an intravenous CDK4/6 inhibitor in development to proactively ...preserve HSPC and immune system function during chemotherapy (myelopreservation). Preclinically, trilaciclib transiently maintains HSPC in G1 arrest and protects them from chemotherapy damage, leading to faster hematopoietic recovery and enhanced antitumor immunity.
This was a phase Ib (open-label, dose-finding) and phase II (randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled) study of the safety, efficacy and PK of trilaciclib in combination with etoposide/carboplatin (E/P) therapy for treatment-naive extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer patients. Patients received trilaciclib or placebo before E/P on days 1–3 of each cycle. Select end points were prespecified to assess the effect of trilaciclib on myelosuppression and antitumor efficacy.
A total of 122 patients were enrolled, with 19 patients in part 1 and 75 patients in part 2 receiving study drug. Improvements were seen with trilaciclib in neutrophil, RBC (red blood cell) and lymphocyte measures. Safety on trilaciclib+E/P was improved with fewer ≥G3 adverse events (AEs) in trilaciclib (50%) versus placebo (83.8%), primarily due to less hematological toxicity. No trilaciclib-related ≥G3 AEs occurred. Antitumor efficacy assessment for trilaciclib versus placebo, respectively, showed: ORR (66.7% versus 56.8%, P = 0.3831); median PFS 6.2 versus 5.0 m; hazard ratio (HR) 0.71; P = 0.1695; and OS (10.9 versus 10.6 m; HR 0.87; P = 0.6107).
Trilaciclib demonstrated an improvement in the patient’s tolerability of chemotherapy as shown by myelopreservation across multiple hematopoietic lineages resulting in fewer supportive care interventions and dose reductions, improved safety profile, and no detriment to antitumor efficacy. These data demonstrate strong proof-of-concept for trilaciclib’s myelopreservation benefits.
NCT02499770.
•Space weathering of a carbonaceous chondrite simulated via pulsed laser irradiation.•Reflectance spectra of the melt and vapor deposits show strong reddening.•The reflectance spectrum of the ...irradiated meteorite surface is darkened.•TEM analyses reveal a compositionally diverse nanoparticle population.•Results suggest a departure from lunar-style space weathering.
We performed pulsed-laser irradiation of a chip of the CM2 Murchison carbonaceous chondrite meteorite to simulate micrometeorite impacts on carbonaceous asteroids. Optical reflectance spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy were performed to characterize the unirradiated and irradiated samples and vapor and melt deposits collected on a glass slide ∼7 mm from the surface of the sample. The spectrum of the deposit on the glass slide shows a red slope between 0.35–2.5 µm, while the irradiated surface of the meteorite shows only slight darkening over the same spectral range. We identified predominant melt products and vesiculated textures in the glass slide deposit, in the fine-grained matrix of the meteorite, and in individual mineral phases of the meteorite chip. Extracted focused ion beam (FIB) sections from the matrix material, an olivine grain, a pentlandite grain, and from the glass slide deposit were analyzed by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Microstructural and chemical analyses based on the STEM observations show widespread melting and the formation of Fe-bearing nanoparticles (including prevalent Fe–Ni–sulfides) across the surface of the meteorite. The section extracted from the glass slide revealed nanoparticles embedded in a chemically and microstructurally complex deposit, which likely formed as a result of both melting and vaporization processes. These analyses reveal a significantly more compositionally diverse population of nanoparticles compared to what is observed in lunar or ordinary chondritic space weathered samples. We discuss the implications these results have for the space weathering of carbonaceous asteroids and their importance for understanding the surface processes on primitive bodies.
Curiosity investigated active eolian sands near linear dunes during Phase 2 of the Bagnold Dunes campaign in Gale crater, Mars. Ogunquit Beach, a sample scooped from a large‐ripple trough within the ...Mount Desert Island ripple field and delivered to the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) X‐ray diffraction instrument, is dominated by basaltic igneous minerals and X‐ray amorphous materials. CheMin mineralogy of the Gobabeb sample acquired at a large‐ripple crest on the Namib barchan dune during Phase 1 is similar to Ogunquit Beach. Ogunquit Beach, however, contains more plagioclase and Gobabeb contains more olivine. Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM)‐based estimates of mineralogy at the optical surface of Namib Dune and Mount Desert Island demonstrate that surface sands are enriched in olivine and depleted in plagioclase over Mount Desert Island relative to Namib Dune. Differences between CheMin‐derived and CRISM‐derived mineralogies suggest sorting by grain size on bedform to dune field scales. Crystal chemistry from CheMin suggests contributions from multiple igneous sources and the local bedrock.
Plain Language Summary
Remote sensing data from orbit indicate that wind‐blown sands in the Bagnold Dune Field in Gale crater, Mars, are sorted by their composition. The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover studied the Bagnold Dune Field at two locations to investigate the chemical and mineral composition of the sands and why they are sorted across the dune field. Data from Curiosity show distinct differences between the minerals in the upwind portion of the dune field compared to the downwind portion, but these differences are not the same as those observed from orbit. The scale and location of the sampling by Curiosity compared to orbiters explains the discrepancy between the two techniques. Results from both techniques suggest subtle differences in mineralogy within a single dune and across the dune field that can be explained by sorting from wind and contribution from the erosion of local bedrock.
Key Points
The mineralogy of active eolian sands were measured by the Curiosity rover at two locations in the Bagnold Dune Field in Gale crater, Mars
X‐ray diffraction data from the CheMin instrument of two sand samples indicate differences in plagioclase and olivine abundances
The mineralogy derived from CheMin and CRISM can be used in concert to characterize sediment sorting and sources across the Bagnold Dunes
Despite the enormous economic and ecological importance of marine organisms, the spatial scales of adaptation and biocomplexity remain largely unknown. Yet, the preservation of local stocks that ...possess adaptive diversity is critical to the long-term maintenance of productive stable fisheries and ecosystems. Here, we document genomic evidence of range-wide adaptive differentiation in a broadcast spawning marine fish, Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), using a genome survey of single nucleotide polymorphisms. Of 1641 gene-associated polymorphisms examined, 70 (4.2%) tested positive for signatures of selection using a Bayesian approach. We identify a subset of these loci (n = 40) for which allele frequencies show parallel temperature-associated clines (p < 0.001, r2 = 0.89) in the eastern and western north Atlantic. Temperature associations were robust to the statistical removal of geographic distance or latitude effects, and contrasted ‘neutral’ loci, which displayed no temperature association. Allele frequencies at temperature-associated loci were significantly correlated, spanned three linkage groups and several were successfully annotated supporting the involvement of multiple independent genes. Our results are consistent with the evolution and/or selective sweep of multiple genes in response to ocean temperature, and support the possibility of a new conservation paradigm for non-model marine organisms based on genomic approaches to resolving functional and adaptive diversity.
Mössbauer spectra measured by the Opportunity rover revealed four mineralogical components in Meridiani Planum at Eagle crater: jarosite- and hematite-rich outcrop, hematite-rich soil, ...olivine-bearing basaltic soil, and a pyroxene-bearing basaltic rock (Bounce rock). Spherules, interpreted to be concretions, are hematiterich and dispersed throughout the outcrop. Hematitic soils both within and outside Eagle crater are dominated by spherules and their fragments. Olivine-bearing basaltic soil is present throughout the region. Bounce rock is probably an impact erratic. Because jarosite is a hydroxide sulfate mineral, its presence at Meridiani Planum is mineralogical evidence for aqueous processes on Mars, probably under acid-sulfate conditions.
Visible/short‐wave infrared spectral data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) show absorptions attributed to hematite at Vera Rubin ridge (VRR), a topographic ...feature on northwest Mt. Sharp. The goals of this study are to determine why absorptions caused by ferric iron are strongly visible from orbit at VRR and to improve interpretation of CRISM data throughout lower Mt. Sharp. These goals are achieved by analyzing coordinated CRISM and in situ spectral data along the Curiosity Mars rover's traverse. VRR bedrock within areas that have the deepest ferric absorptions in CRISM data also has the deepest ferric absorptions measured in situ. This suggests strong ferric absorptions are visible from orbit at VRR because of the unique spectral properties of VRR bedrock. Dust and mixing with basaltic sand additionally inhibit the ability to measure ferric absorptions in bedrock stratigraphically below VRR from orbit. There are two implications of these findings: (1) Ferric absorptions in CRISM data initially dismissed as noise could be real, and ferric phases are more widespread in lower Mt. Sharp than previously reported. (2) Patches with the deepest ferric absorptions in CRISM data are, like VRR, reflective of deeper absorptions in the bedrock. One model to explain this spectral variability is late‐stage diagenetic fluids that changed the grain size of ferric phases, deepening absorptions. Curiosity's experience highlights the strengths of using CRISM data for spectral absorptions and associated mineral detections and the caveats in using these data for geologic interpretations and strategic path planning tools.
Plain Language Summary
Satellites orbiting Mars map the composition of the planet's surface, tell us about past environments, and guide rovers to interesting locations on the surface. The Curiosity rover investigated a ridge named Vera Rubin ridge where indications of the mineral hematite (Fe2O3) was suggested from orbital data. In this paper, we investigate why the hematite detection on the ridge was so clear from orbit and what the implications are for how the hematite formed. We found several factors influence the orbital data, but the biggest reason hematite at Vera Rubin ridge was so easily detected from orbit was because the bedrock there was unique. Water had interacted with rocks at the ridge sometime after they were deposited, and this interaction affected the properties of the hematite and made it more visible from orbit. Curiosity's data help us reinterpret the orbital data over Mt. Sharp and reveal hematite is probably present in most of the bedrock there. Furthermore, there are other areas with particularly clear hematite detections that likely formed in a similar manner as Vera Rubin ridge. We end this paper with a discussion of lessons learned from this experience for using orbital data to guide rovers in the future.
Key Points
Areas on Vera Rubin ridge with deep ferric absorptions from orbit also have deep ferric absorptions in Curiosity spectral data sets
Ferric phases are more widespread on Mt. Sharp than originally reported. Diagenesis deepened ferric absorptions in several locations
Combining orbital and in situ observations enhances planetary exploration
Detection of Silica-Rich Deposits on Mars Squyres, S.W; Arvidson, R.E; Ruff, S ...
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science),
05/2008, Letnik:
320, Številka:
5879
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Mineral deposits on the martian surface can elucidate ancient environmental conditions on the planet. Opaline silica deposits (as much as 91 weight percent SiO₂) have been found in association with ...volcanic materials by the Mars rover Spirit. The deposits are present both as light-toned soils and as bedrock. We interpret these materials to have formed under hydrothermal conditions and therefore to be strong indicators of a former aqueous environment. This discovery is important for understanding the past habitability of Mars because hydrothermal environments on Earth support thriving microbial ecosystems.
Aims/hypothesis Defects in pancreatic beta cell turnover are implicated in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes by genetic markers for diabetes. Decreased beta cell neogenesis could contribute to ...diabetes. The longevity and turnover of human beta cells is unknown; in rodents <1 year old, a half-life of 30 days is estimated. Intracellular lipofuscin body (LB) accumulation is a hallmark of ageing in neurons. To estimate the lifespan of human beta cells, we measured beta cell LB accumulation in individuals aged 1-81 years. Methods LB content was determined by electron microscopical morphometry in sections of beta cells from human (non-diabetic, n = 45; type 2 diabetic, n = 10) and non-human primates (n = 10; 5-30 years) and from 15 mice aged 10-99 weeks. Total cellular LB content was estimated by three-dimensional (3D) mathematical modelling. Results LB area proportion was significantly correlated with age in human and non-human primates. The proportion of human LB-positive beta cells was significantly related to age, with no apparent differences in type 2 diabetes or obesity. LB content was low in human insulinomas (n = 5) and alpha cells and in mouse beta cells (LB content in mouse <10% human). Using 3D electron microscopy and 3D mathematical modelling, the LB-positive human beta cells (representing aged cells) increased from ≥90% (<10 years) to ≥97% (>20 years) and remained constant thereafter. Conclusions/interpretation Human beta cells, unlike those of young rodents, are long-lived. LB proportions in type 2 diabetes and obesity suggest that little adaptive change occurs in the adult human beta cell population, which is largely established by age 20 years.
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