Dr. Ryan Cloutier: “We’ve seen this pattern: rocky inside, gaseous outside, across hundreds of planetary systems. But now, the discovery of a rocky planet in the outer part of a system forces us to rethink the timing and conditions under which rocky planets can form.”
What can rocky planets orbiting in the outer parts of a solar system teach scientists about planetary formation and evolution? This is what a recent study published in Science hopes to address as a team of scientists have discovered a rocky planet orbiting in the outer reaches of an exoplanetary system. This study has the potential to challenge longstanding hypotheses regarding the solar system architecture, specifically regarding rocky planets orbiting closer to their star and larger gas giants orbiting farther away.
For the study, the researchers analyzed four exoplanets in the LHS 1903 system orbiting a red dwarf star, the latter of which is smaller and cooler than our Sun. Due to the planets orbiting closer to their star than our planets orbiting our Sun, the researchers estimated the orbital periods for the four exoplanets were between 2.2 and 29.3 days. However, the researchers were surprised to discover that while the innermost planet was rocky and the second the third planets were gaseous, the outermost planet was also rocky. As a result, this finding contradicts longstanding notions about solar system architecture, specifically regarding our own solar system that rocky planets orbit closer to the star while outer planets are gaseous.
In contrast with modern birds, the Cretaceous theropod dinosaur Microraptor possessed multiple wings, with long feathers on its arms, legs, and tail. The flight capabilities of Microraptor are not well-understood. Csaba Hefler et al. analyzed the aerodynamics and forewing–hindwing interactions of Microraptor based on anatomical data from more than 100 fossilized specimens. The authors modeled fixed-wing gliding flight with the wings of Microraptor at low, moderate, and high angles of attack, which represent angles between the body axis and the direction of incoming air flow. The modeling suggested that synergistic interactions between vortices created by the leading edges of the forewings and hindwings could have provided a substantial and sustained boost to lift while gliding under a variety of conditions. The simulated forewing–hindwing interactions resemble aerodynamic effects seen in dragonflies. Vortices formed by the distinctively flared tip of the Microraptor hindwing contributed additional lift, a specialized feature not seen in other early multiwinged birds, such as Archaeopteryx and Anchiornis. The analysis suggests that Microraptor likely used aerodynamic features comparable to those seen in modern flying animals while gliding. According to the authors, the findings push back the evolution of sophisticated flight dynamics to the Early Cretaceous Period. — M.H.
“Since the Apollo era, we’ve known about the prevalence of lobate scarps throughout the lunar highlands, but this is the first time scientists have documented the widespread prevalence of similar features throughout the lunar mare,” said Dr. Cole Nypaver.
Does our Moon exhibit recent tectonic activity? This is what a recent study published in The Planetary Science Journal hopes to address as a team of scientists investigated the potential for our Moon to have exhibited recent tectonic activity despite its interior not being geologically active. This study has the potential to help scientists better understand the processes responsible for tectonic activity on planetary bodies and what this could mean for the formation and evolution of planets and moons throughout the cosmos.
For the study, the researchers created the first global map of small mare ridges (SMRs) on the Moon, which are small, narrow tectonic ridges located within the lava plains on the Moon and are similar to lobate scarps, another frequently observed geologic formation on the Moon. They have been hypothesized to result from the Moon shrinking as it’s cooled over billions of years, with the top crust bucking under the pressure of compression.
Using a combination of lunar global mosaics and images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Narrow Angle Cameras (NACs), the researchers successfully identified and mapped more than 1,100 new SMRs across the nearside of the Moon. Through this, the researchers demonstrated these SMRs are geologically young compared to the surrounding regions and are widely distributed among the lunar volcanic plains.
Complex eyes in vertebrates may have evolved as early as 500 million years ago. Reconstructing the early evolutionary history of vertebrates requires understanding organisms that existed before bone evolved. However, these ‘soft-bodied’ fossils are inherently difficult to study, resulting in conflicting anatomical and evolutionary interpretations. For the first time, researchers used synchrotron-based imaging techniques to examine two Silurian taxa, Jamoytius and Lasanius, that may bridge the gap between the bone-less and boned vertebrates. They recover the first direct evidence of biomineralised apatitic bone in both taxa and of camera-eyes in Jamoytius. The discoveries indicate vertebrate bones and complex eyes evolved earlier than previously thought, and demonstrate the power of these techniques for problematic fossils.
Read the article in Proceedings B.
Abstract. Understanding the origin and early diversification of vertebrates has always been a challenge because of the ambiguous and conflicting interpretations of the soft-bodied, pre-biomineralization fossil record. Here, we apply synchrotron radiation techniques to Jamoytius and Lasanius, two soft-bodied Silurian vertebrates, key taxa for discerning vertebrate bone evolution owing to highly localized, but debated, biomineralization. We map soft-tissue structures and quantify details of biochemical residue impossible to resolve with traditional methods. We present the first unequivocal evidence for biomineralized apatitic scales in Jamoytius by combining synchrotron rapid scanning X-ray fluorescence and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (elevated Ca 37% and P 21%). This approach also recovers robust evidence for apatitic biomineralization in Lasanius. Chemical mapping of the optical anatomy of Jamoytius recovers a close correlation with Zn and Cu distribution, providing evidence for a retinal pigmented epithelium and complex eyes. In both taxa, chemical maps reveal original anatomical details not apparent in visible light, including potential evidence of other sensory anatomy in Jamoytius. Our work resolves long-standing fundamental anatomical debates, indicating stem-group origins for bone and complex eyes in vertebrates. We highlight the potential of using a powerful combination of analytical techniques to unlock otherwise inaccessible data in problematic fossils.
Amyloids may have played an important role in prebiotic molecular evolution but understanding replication of such information-coding molecules is still a problem. Here the authors design a model amyloid substrate and demonstrate sequence regio- and stereoselectivity during template-based replication.
Supermassive black hole binaries form naturally when galaxies merge, but scientists have only confidently observed a very few of these systems that are widely separated. Black hole binaries that closely orbit each other have not yet been measured. In a paper published today in Physical Review Letters, the researchers suggest hunting down the hidden systems by searching for repeating flashes of light from individual stars lying behind the black holes as they are temporarily magnified by gravitational lensing as the binary orbits.
Supermassive black holes reside at the centers of most galaxies. When two galaxies collide and merge, their central black holes eventually form a bound pair, known as a supermassive black hole binary. These systems play a crucial role in galaxy evolution and are among the most powerful sources of gravitational waves in the universe. While future space-based gravitational-wave observatories like LISA will be able to probe such binaries directly, researchers are now showing that they may already be detectable using existing and upcoming electromagnetic surveys.
Zhao et al. delineate the dynamic evolution of the gastric mucosal microenvironment and characterize diverse immune cell populations during gastric cancer progression under H. pylori infection. They identify and validate that H. pylori-associated activated mast cells promote gastric cancer through PGE2-and adenosine-mediated suppression of CD8+ T cell cytotoxicity.
Researchers from the Yunnan Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have conducted a new study on the temporal evolution of the afterglow from gamma-ray burst GRB 240825A. The study offers new evidence to better understand the physical environment surrounding gamma-ray bursts and provides insights into the mechanisms that govern their afterglow emission. The findings were recently published in The Astrophysical Journal.
Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) are widely believed to form from the core collapse of massive stars, usually occurring in dense star-forming regions. NASA’s Swift satellite detected GRB 240825A on August 25, 2024, and observed an unusually bright optical counterpart.
Early measurements yielded an X-ray afterglow spectral index of 0.79 and a significantly softer optical afterglow spectral index of 2.48, compared with a typical value near 1. Under standard models, a gamma-ray burst is classified as “optically dark” when its observed optical afterglow flux falls below the level predicted from its X-ray spectral index.
“Our results flip the script on how we have typically thought amino acids formed in asteroids,” said Dr. Allison Baczynski.
Did the ingredients for life as we know it exist in the early solar system? This is what a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated new evidence for how amino acids, the known building blocks of life, ended up in the asteroid Bennu, which is estimated to have formed during the early days of the solar system billions of years ago. This study has the potential to help scientists better understand the early solar system, how life might have formed on Earth, and potentially elsewhere.
For the study, the researchers analyzed samples of asteroid Bennu that were retrieved and returned to Earth by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission in September 2023. The goal of the study was to ascertain the origins of the amino acids that had previously been identified in Bennu samples, which could help scientists gain insights into the origins of life in the early solar system. To accomplish this, the researchers used novel methods for measuring the amount of amino acids while comparing these findings to the carbonaceous meteorite Murchison.
In the end, the researchers discovered that glycine, one of the simplest amino acid molecules, with Bennu was formed in early ices in the early solar system while the glycine found in Murchison was formed in a protoplanetary body, which formed later in the history of the solar system. Additionally, the researchers found that certain aspects of the protein-building amino acid, glutamic acid, found in the Bennu samples, experienced significant changes during its formation and evolution.