NASA Astrobiology Institute 2018 Annual Science Report
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Limits from the Hubble Space Telescope on a Point Source in SN 1987A
Limits from the Hubble Space Telescope on a Point Source in SN 1987A The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Graves, Genevieve J. M., Peter M. Challis, Roger A. Chevalier, Arlin Crotts, Alexei V. Filippenko, Claes Fransson, Peter Garnavich, et al. 2005. “Limits from the Hubble Space Telescopeon a Point Source in SN 1987A.” The Astrophysical Journal 629 (2): 944–59. https:// doi.org/10.1086/431422. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:41399924 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA The Astrophysical Journal, 629:944–959, 2005 August 20 # 2005. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. LIMITS FROM THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE ON A POINT SOURCE IN SN 1987A Genevieve J. M. Graves,1, 2 Peter M. Challis,2 Roger A. Chevalier,3 Arlin Crotts,4 Alexei V. Filippenko,5 Claes Fransson,6 Peter Garnavich,7 Robert P. Kirshner,2 Weidong Li,5 Peter Lundqvist,6 Richard McCray,8 Nino Panagia,9 Mark M. Phillips,10 Chun J. S. Pun,11,12 Brian P. Schmidt,13 George Sonneborn,11 Nicholas B. Suntzeff,14 Lifan Wang,15 and J. Craig Wheeler16 Received 2005 January 27; accepted 2005 April 26 ABSTRACT We observed supernova 1987A (SN 1987A) with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST ) in 1999 September and again with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) on the HST in 2003 November. -
A Dozen Colliding Wind X-Ray Binaries in the Star Cluster R 136 in the 30 Doradus Region
A dozen colliding wind X-ray binaries in the star cluster R 136 in the 30 Doradus region Simon F. Portegies Zwart?,DavidPooley,Walter,H.G.Lewin Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA ? Hubble Fellow Subject headings: stars: early-type — tars: Wolf-Rayet — galaxies:) Magellanic Clouds — X-rays: stars — X-rays: binaries — globular clusters: individual (R136) –2– ABSTRACT We analyzed archival Chandra X-ray observations of the central portion of the 30 Doradus region in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The image contains 20 32 35 1 X-ray point sources with luminosities between 5 10 and 2 10 erg s− (0.2 × × — 3.5 keV). A dozen sources have bright WN Wolf-Rayet or spectral type O stars as optical counterparts. Nine of these are within 3:4 pc of R 136, the ∼ central star cluster of NGC 2070. We derive an empirical relation between the X-ray luminosity and the parameters for the stellar wind of the optical counterpart. The relation gives good agreement for known colliding wind binaries in the Milky Way Galaxy and for the identified X-ray sources in NGC 2070. We conclude that probably all identified X-ray sources in NGC 2070 are colliding wind binaries and that they are not associated with compact objects. This conclusion contradicts Wang (1995) who argued, using ROSAT data, that two earlier discovered X-ray sources are accreting black-hole binaries. Five early type stars in R 136 are not bright in X-rays, possibly indicating that they are either: single stars or have a low mass companion or a wide orbit. -
ATTACHMENT, SELECTION, and TRANSFORMATION of PREBIOTIC MOLECULES on BRUCITE [Mg(OH)2]
ATTACHMENT, SELECTION, AND TRANSFORMATION OF PREBIOTIC MOLECULES ON BRUCITE [Mg(OH)2] AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR CHEMICAL EVOLUTION AT HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEMS by Charlene F. Estrada A dissertation submitted to The Johns Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Baltimore, Maryland September, 2014 Charlene F. Estrada All rights reserved Abstract Serpentinite-hosted hydrothermal vents may have been plausible environments for the origins of life. Mineral assemblages within hydrothermal fields may have selected and concentrated biomolecules, although little is known about molecular interactions at these mineral surfaces. I investigated the adsorption of aspartate and ribose at the surface of brucite [Mg(OH)2], a major mineral phase at serpentinite-hosted hydrothermal vents. I characterized the attachment of these molecules onto a synthetic brucite powder with Mg2+ and Ca2+ using batch adsorption experiments. I observed that Mg2+ inhibits both aspartate and ribose adsorption, whereas Ca2+ enhances adsorption onto the brucite surface. I used surface complexation modeling to predict that both aspartate and ribose attach as cooperative calcium-ligand complexes onto brucite. To further investigate the cooperative effect of Ca2+ on biomolecule adsorption, I introduced an equimolar mixture of aspartate, glycine, lysine, leucine, and phenylalanine to the brucite surface, both with and without Ca2+. Without Ca2+, up to 8.9 % aspartate and ~5 % each of the remaining four amino acids adsorbed onto brucite. When Ca2+ was added, I observed that between 5.7 to 20 times more aspartate (37.3 %) adsorbed onto brucite compared with the remaining four amino acids (~3 % each). These results, when combined with the previous study, suggest that aspartate selectively adsorbs onto brucite as a cooperative calcium-aspartate complex. -
Second Annual NASA Ames Space Science and Astrobiology Jamboree
Second Annual NASA Ames Space Science and Astrobiology Jamboree March 4, 2014 Welcome to the Second Annual Ames Space Sciences and Astrobiology Jamboree! The Space Science and Astrobiology Division at NASA Ames Research Center consists of over 50 civil servants and more than 110 contractors, co-ops, post-docs and associates. Researchers in the division are pursuing investigations in a variety of fields including exoplanets, planetary science, astrobiology and astrophysics. In addition, division personnel support a wide variety of NASA missions including (but not limited to) Kepler, SOFIA, LADEE, JWST, and New Horizons. With such a wide variety of interesting research going on, distributed among three branches in at least 5 different buildings, it can be difficult to stay abreast of what one’s fellow researchers are doing. Our goal in organizing this symposium is to facilitate communication and collaboration among the scientists within the division, and to give center management and other ARC researchers and engineers an opportunity to see what scientific research and science mission work is being done in the division. We also wanted to continue a new tradition created last year within the Space Science and Astrobiology Division to honor one senior and one early career scientist with the Pollack Lecture and the Early Career Lecture, respectively. With the Pollack Lecture, our intent is to select a senior researcher who has made significant contributions to any area of research within the space sciences, and we are pleased to honor Dr. Jeff Cuzzi this year. With the Early Career Lecture, our intent is to select a young researcher within the division who, by their published scientific papers, shows great promise for the future in any area of space science research, and we are pleased to honor Dr. -
Stable Isotope Fingerprinting: a Novel Method for Identifying Plant, Fungal
Ecology, 00(0), 0000, pp. 000–000 Ó 0000 by the Ecological Society of America Stable isotope fingerprinting: a novel method for identifying plant, fungal, or bacterial origins of amino acids 1 THOMAS LARSEN,D.LEE TAYLOR,MARY BETH LEIGH, AND DIANE M. O’BRIEN Institute of Arctic Biology and Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-7000 USA Abstract. Amino acids play an important role in ecology as essential nutrients for animals and as currencies in symbiotic associations. Here we present a new approach to tracing the origins of amino acids by identifying unique patterns of carbon isotope signatures generated by amino acid synthesis in plants, fungi, and bacteria (‘‘13C fingerprints’’). We measured 13 amino acid d C from 10 C3 plants, 13 fungi, and 10 bacteria collected and isolated from a boreal forest in interior Alaska, USA, using gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS). Microorganisms were cultured under amino-acid-free conditions and identified based on DNA sequences. Bacteria, fungi, and plants generated consistent, unique 13C fingerprints based on the more complex amino acids (five or more biosynthetic steps) that are classified as essential for animals. Linear discriminant analysis classified all samples correctly with .99% certainty and correctly classified nearly all insect samples from a previous study by diet. Our results suggest that 13C fingerprints of amino acids could provide a powerful in situ assay of the biosynthetic sources of amino acids and a potential new tool for understanding nutritional linkages in food webs. Key words: Alaska, USA; compound-specific stable isotope analysis; d13C; essential amino acids; eukaryotes; gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS); prokaryotes. -
Snowball Earth: a Thin-Ice Solution with Flowing Sea Glaciers’’ by David Pollard and James F
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 111, C09016, doi:10.1029/2005JC003411, 2006 Click Here for Full Article Comment on ‘‘Snowball Earth: A thin-ice solution with flowing sea glaciers’’ by David Pollard and James F. Kasting Stephen G. Warren1,2 and Richard E. Brandt1 Received 22 November 2005; revised 22 May 2006; accepted 9 June 2006; published 14 September 2006. Citation: Warren, S. G., and R. E. Brandt (2006), Comment on ‘‘Snowball Earth: A thin-ice solution with flowing sea glaciers’’ by David Pollard and James F. Kasting, J. Geophys. Res., 111, C09016, doi:10.1029/2005JC003411. 1. Introduction 2. Choices of Model Variables That Favor [1] Pollard and Kasting [2005] (hereinafter referred to as Thin Ice PK) have coupled an energy-balance climate model to an 2.1. Albedo of Cold Glacier Ice ice-shelf flow model, to investigate the Snowball Earth [2] As sea glaciers flowed equatorward into the tropical episodes of the Neoproterozoic, 600–800 million years region of net sublimation, their surface snow and subsurface ago, when the ocean apparently froze all the way to the firn would sublimate away, exposing bare glacier ice to equator [Hoffman and Schrag, 2002]. PK’s particular con- the atmosphere and solar radiation. This ice would be cern was to investigate the possibility that over a wide freshwater (meteoric) ice, which originated from compres- equatorial band where sublimation exceeded snowfall, the sion of snow, so it would contain numerous bubbles, giving bare ice may have been thin enough to permit transmission a high albedo. The albedo of cold (nonmelting) glacier ice of sunlight to the water below, providing an extensive exposed by sublimation (Antarctic ‘‘blue ice’’) has been refugium for the photosynthetic eukaryotes that survived measured as 0.55–0.65 in four experiments in the Atlantic the Snowball events. -
Westminsterresearch the Astrobiology Primer V2.0 Domagal-Goldman, S.D., Wright, K.E., Adamala, K., De La Rubia Leigh, A., Bond
WestminsterResearch http://www.westminster.ac.uk/westminsterresearch The Astrobiology Primer v2.0 Domagal-Goldman, S.D., Wright, K.E., Adamala, K., de la Rubia Leigh, A., Bond, J., Dartnell, L., Goldman, A.D., Lynch, K., Naud, M.-E., Paulino-Lima, I.G., Kelsi, S., Walter-Antonio, M., Abrevaya, X.C., Anderson, R., Arney, G., Atri, D., Azúa-Bustos, A., Bowman, J.S., Brazelton, W.J., Brennecka, G.A., Carns, R., Chopra, A., Colangelo-Lillis, J., Crockett, C.J., DeMarines, J., Frank, E.A., Frantz, C., de la Fuente, E., Galante, D., Glass, J., Gleeson, D., Glein, C.R., Goldblatt, C., Horak, R., Horodyskyj, L., Kaçar, B., Kereszturi, A., Knowles, E., Mayeur, P., McGlynn, S., Miguel, Y., Montgomery, M., Neish, C., Noack, L., Rugheimer, S., Stüeken, E.E., Tamez-Hidalgo, P., Walker, S.I. and Wong, T. This is a copy of the final version of an article published in Astrobiology. August 2016, 16(8): 561-653. doi:10.1089/ast.2015.1460. It is available from the publisher at: https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2015.1460 © Shawn D. Domagal-Goldman and Katherine E. Wright, et al., 2016; Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. This Open Access article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by- nc/4.0/) which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited. The WestminsterResearch online digital archive at the University of Westminster aims to make the research output of the University available to a wider audience. -
A Basic Requirement for Studying the Heavens Is Determining Where In
Abasic requirement for studying the heavens is determining where in the sky things are. To specify sky positions, astronomers have developed several coordinate systems. Each uses a coordinate grid projected on to the celestial sphere, in analogy to the geographic coordinate system used on the surface of the Earth. The coordinate systems differ only in their choice of the fundamental plane, which divides the sky into two equal hemispheres along a great circle (the fundamental plane of the geographic system is the Earth's equator) . Each coordinate system is named for its choice of fundamental plane. The equatorial coordinate system is probably the most widely used celestial coordinate system. It is also the one most closely related to the geographic coordinate system, because they use the same fun damental plane and the same poles. The projection of the Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere is called the celestial equator. Similarly, projecting the geographic poles on to the celest ial sphere defines the north and south celestial poles. However, there is an important difference between the equatorial and geographic coordinate systems: the geographic system is fixed to the Earth; it rotates as the Earth does . The equatorial system is fixed to the stars, so it appears to rotate across the sky with the stars, but of course it's really the Earth rotating under the fixed sky. The latitudinal (latitude-like) angle of the equatorial system is called declination (Dec for short) . It measures the angle of an object above or below the celestial equator. The longitud inal angle is called the right ascension (RA for short). -
18Th EANA Conference European Astrobiology Network Association
18th EANA Conference European Astrobiology Network Association Abstract book 24-28 September 2018 Freie Universität Berlin, Germany Sponsors: Detectability of biosignatures in martian sedimentary systems A. H. Stevens1, A. McDonald2, and C. S. Cockell1 (1) UK Centre for Astrobiology, University of Edinburgh, UK ([email protected]) (2) Bioimaging Facility, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, UK Presentation: Tuesday 12:45-13:00 Session: Traces of life, biosignatures, life detection Abstract: Some of the most promising potential sampling sites for astrobiology are the numerous sedimentary areas on Mars such as those explored by MSL. As sedimentary systems have a high relative likelihood to have been habitable in the past and are known on Earth to preserve biosignatures well, the remains of martian sedimentary systems are an attractive target for exploration, for example by sample return caching rovers [1]. To learn how best to look for evidence of life in these environments, we must carefully understand their context. While recent measurements have raised the upper limit for organic carbon measured in martian sediments [2], our exploration to date shows no evidence for a terrestrial-like biosphere on Mars. We used an analogue of a martian mudstone (Y-Mars[3]) to investigate how best to look for biosignatures in martian sedimentary environments. The mudstone was inoculated with a relevant microbial community and cultured over several months under martian conditions to select for the most Mars-relevant microbes. We sequenced the microbial community over a number of transfers to try and understand what types microbes might be expected to exist in these environments and assess whether they might leave behind any specific biosignatures. -
CV Seth Newsome.Pdf
Seth D. Newsome University of New Mexico Associate Professor, Department of Biology Associate Director, Center for Stable Isotopes 190 Castetter Hall Albuquerque, NM 87131 USA [email protected] http://sethnewsome.org Research Interests Animal Ecology, Animal Eco-Physiology, Historical Ecology, Conservation Biology Education 2000–2005 Ph.D., University of California Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA) Earth & Planetary Sciences Department 1995–1999 B.A., Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH) Earth Sciences Department Positions & Professional Development 2018– Associate Professor, Biology Department, University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM) 2014– Associate Director, University of New Mexico Center for Stable Isotopes 2013–2018 Assistant Professor, Biology Department, University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM) 2009–2012 Post-Doctoral Research Scientist, University of Wyoming (Laramie, WY) Research focused on (1) using compound specific stable isotope analysis to quantify protein routing in mammals, birds and fish; (2) characterizing the ecology of an adaptive radiation in a group of South American songbirds via biochemical, physiological, and genetic tools. Advisors: Drs. Carlos Martinez del Rio and David G. Williams 2006–2009 Post-Doctoral Research Scientist, Carnegie Institution of Washington (Washington, DC) Research focused on (1) development of stable isotope methods to assess ecological niche and eco-physiological variation, foraging specialization, and dispersal characteristics of mammals and birds; (2) human impacts on ecosystem change in Australia and southern California. Advisor: Dr. Marilyn L. Fogel 2000–2005 Ph.D. Candidate, UC-Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA) Research focused on historic and prehistoric ecology of marine mammals, with emphasis on the northern fur seal in the northeast Pacific Ocean. Advisor: Dr. Paul L. Koch 2000 Senior Lab Technician, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley, CA) Managed stable isotope facility and conducted research using isotopic tracers to track fluid and contaminant migration through sediments and groundwater. -
121012-AAS-221 Program-14-ALL, Page 253 @ Preflight
221ST MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY 6-10 January 2013 LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA Scientific sessions will be held at the: Long Beach Convention Center 300 E. Ocean Blvd. COUNCIL.......................... 2 Long Beach, CA 90802 AAS Paper Sorters EXHIBITORS..................... 4 Aubra Anthony ATTENDEE Alan Boss SERVICES.......................... 9 Blaise Canzian Joanna Corby SCHEDULE.....................12 Rupert Croft Shantanu Desai SATURDAY.....................28 Rick Fienberg Bernhard Fleck SUNDAY..........................30 Erika Grundstrom Nimish P. Hathi MONDAY........................37 Ann Hornschemeier Suzanne H. Jacoby TUESDAY........................98 Bethany Johns Sebastien Lepine WEDNESDAY.............. 158 Katharina Lodders Kevin Marvel THURSDAY.................. 213 Karen Masters Bryan Miller AUTHOR INDEX ........ 245 Nancy Morrison Judit Ries Michael Rutkowski Allyn Smith Joe Tenn Session Numbering Key 100’s Monday 200’s Tuesday 300’s Wednesday 400’s Thursday Sessions are numbered in the Program Book by day and time. Changes after 27 November 2012 are included only in the online program materials. 1 AAS Officers & Councilors Officers Councilors President (2012-2014) (2009-2012) David J. Helfand Quest Univ. Canada Edward F. Guinan Villanova Univ. [email protected] [email protected] PAST President (2012-2013) Patricia Knezek NOAO/WIYN Observatory Debra Elmegreen Vassar College [email protected] [email protected] Robert Mathieu Univ. of Wisconsin Vice President (2009-2015) [email protected] Paula Szkody University of Washington [email protected] (2011-2014) Bruce Balick Univ. of Washington Vice-President (2010-2013) [email protected] Nicholas B. Suntzeff Texas A&M Univ. suntzeff@aas.org Eileen D. Friel Boston Univ. [email protected] Vice President (2011-2014) Edward B. Churchwell Univ. of Wisconsin Angela Speck Univ. of Missouri [email protected] [email protected] Treasurer (2011-2014) (2012-2015) Hervey (Peter) Stockman STScI Nancy S. -
Getting Beyond the Toy Domain. Meditations on David Deamer's
Getting beyond the toy domain: meditations on David Deamer’s “Assembling Life” The MIT Faculty has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters. Citation Bains, William, "Getting beyond the toy domain: meditations on David Deamer’s 'Assembling Life.'" Life 10, 12 (Feb. 2020): no. 18 doi 10.3390/life10020018 ©2020 Author(s) As Published 10.3390/life10020018 Publisher MDPI Version Final published version Citable link https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/125661 Terms of Use Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license Detailed Terms https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ life Book Review Getting Beyond the Toy Domain. Meditations on David Deamer’s “Assembling Life” William Bains 1,2 1 Five Alarm Bio Ltd., O2h Scitech Park, Mill Lane, Hauxton, Cambridge CB22 5HX, UK; [email protected] 2 Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA Received: 25 October 2019; Accepted: 15 February 2020; Published: 18 February 2020 Abstract: David Deamer has written another book, Assembling Life, on the origin of life. It is unapologetically polemic, presenting Deamer’s view that life originated in fresh water hydrothermal fields on volcanic islands on early Earth, arguing that this provided a unique environment not just for organic chemistry but for the self-assembling structure that drive that chemistry and form the basis of structure in life. It is worth reading, it is an advance in the field, but is it convincing? I argue that the Origin of Life field as a whole is unconvincing, generating results in Toy Domains that cannot be scaled to any real world scenario.