The organic content of the Tagish Lake meteorite

The Tagish Lake meteorite fell last year on a frozen lake in Canada and may provide the most pristine material of its kind. Analyses have now shown this carbonaceous chondrite to contain a suite of soluble organic compounds (approximately 100 parts per million) that includes mono- and dicarboxylic acids, dicarboximides, pyridine carboxylic acids, a sulfonic acid, and both aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. The insoluble carbon exhibits exclusive aromatic character, deuterium enrichment, and fullerenes containing "planetary" helium and argon. The findings provide insight into an outcome of early solar chemical evolution that differs from any seen so far in meteorites.     

The Tagish Lake meteorite: a possible sample from a D-type asteroid

A new type of carbonaceous chondrite, the Tagish Lake meteorite, exhibits a reflectance spectrum similar to spectra observed from the D-type asteroids, which are relatively abundant in the outer solar system beyond the main asteroid belt and have been inferred to be more primitive than any known meteorite. Until the Tagish Lake fall, these asteroids had no analog in the meteorite collections. The Tagish Lake meteorite is a carbon-rich (4 to 5 weight %), aqueously altered carbonaceous chondrite and contains high concentrations of presolar grains and carbonate minerals, which is consistent with the expectation that the D-type asteroids were originally made of primitive materials and did not experience any extensive heating.     

Denver meteorite: a new fall

A meteorite, a single stone weighing 230 grams, was discovered in the roof of a warehouse on 17 July 1967; evidently it fell during the preceding week. The warehouse is on the northeast edge of Denver, Colorado; coordinates, 39 degrees 46'57'N, 104 degrees 55'50'W. This is the first recovered fresh fall in the United States since the Bells (Texas) meteorite of 9 September 1961. The composition and structure are those of an olivine-hypersthene chondrite.     

Organic globules in the Tagish Lake meteorite: remnants of the protosolar disk

Coordinated transmission electron microscopy and isotopic measurements of organic globules in the Tagish Lake meteorite shows that they have elevated ratios of nitrogen-15 to nitrogen-14 (1.2 to 2 times terrestrial) and of deuterium to hydrogen (2.5 to 9 times terrestrial). These isotopic anomalies are indicative of mass fractionation during chemical reactions at extremely low temperatures (10 to 20 kelvin), characteristic of cold molecular clouds and the outer protosolar disk. The globules probably originated as organic ice coatings on preexisting grains that were photochemically processed into refractory organic matter. The globules resemble cometary carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen (CHON) particles, suggesting that such grains were important constituents of the solar system starting materials.     

Origin and evolution of prebiotic organic matter as inferred from the Tagish Lake meteorite

The complex suite of organic materials in carbonaceous chondrite meteorites probably originally formed in the interstellar medium and/or the solar protoplanetary disk, but was subsequently modified in the meteorites' asteroidal parent bodies. The mechanisms of formation and modification are still very poorly understood. We carried out a systematic study of variations in the mineralogy, petrology, and soluble and insoluble organic matter in distinct fragments of the Tagish Lake meteorite. The variations correlate with indicators of parent body aqueous alteration. At least some molecules of prebiotic importance formed during the alteration.     

The composition of phobos: evidence for carbonaceous chondrite surface from spectral analysis

A reflectance spectrum of Phobos (from 200 to 1100 nanometers) has been compiled from the Mariner 9 ultraviolet spectrometer, Viking lander imaging, and ground-based photometric data. The reflectance of the martian satellite is approximately constant at 5 percent from 1100 to 400 nanometers but drops sharply below 400 nanometers, reaching a value of 1 percent at 200 nanometers. The spectral albedo of Phobos bears a striking resemblance to that of asteroids (1) Ceres and (2) Pallas. Comparison of the reflectance spectra of asteroids with those of meteorites has shown that the spectral signature of Ceres is indicative of a carbonaceous chondritic composition. A physical explanation of how the compositional information is imposed on the reflectance spectrum is given. On the basis of a good match between the reflectance spectra of Phobos and Ceres and the extensive research that has been done to infer the composition of Ceres, it seems reasonable to believe that the surface composition of Phobos is similar to that of carbonaceous chondrites. This suggestion is consistent with the recently determined low density of Mars's inner satellite. Our result and recent Viking noble gas measurements suggest different modes of origin for Mars and Phobos.     

Solar-type xenon: a new isotopic composition of xenon in the pesyanoe meteorite

Xenon in the Pesyanoe meteorite is a mixture of several componenits. Solar-type xenon is a new component deficient in the neutron-rich isotopes as compared to both trapped chondritic and terrestrial atmospheric xenon.     

Allan hills 77005: a new meteorite type found in antarctica

The unique achondrite ALHA 77005 appears to be related to shergottite meteorites through igneous differentiation and may have affinities with mafic rocks on the earth.     

A new type of meteoritic diamond in the enstatite chondrite abee

Diamonds with delta(13)C values of -2 per mil and less than 50 parts per million (by mass) nitrogen have been isolated from the Abee enstatite chondrite by the same procedure used for concentrating Cdelta, the putative interstellar diamond found ubiquitously in primitive meteorites and characterized by delta(13)C values of -32 to -38 per mil, nitrogen concentrations of 2,000 to 12,500 parts per million, and delta(15)N values of -340 per mil. Because the Abee diamonds have typical solar system isotopic compositions for carbon, nitrogen, and xenon, they are presumably nebular in origin rather than presolar. Their discovery in an unshocked meteorite eliminates the possibility of origins normally invoked to account for diamonds in ureilites and iron meteorites and suggests a low-pressure synthesis. The diamond crystals are approximately 100 nanometers in size, are of an unusual lath shape, and represent approximately 100 parts per million of Abee by mass.     

Netschaevo: a new class of chondritic meteorite

The ratios of refractory elements to silicon and of zinc to silicon indicate that the silicate portion of the Netscha?vo meteorite is an ordinary chondrite. The scarcity of chondrules, the large dimensions (about 100 micrometers) of plagioclase grains, and the low indium content (0.09 nanogram per gram) indicate that Netscha?vo belongs to petrologic type 6. On a diagram of reduced iron versus oxidized iron, Netscha?vo lies along an extrapolation of the LL-L-H ordinary chondrite fractionation trend. The abundances of siderophile elements (nickel, germanium, iridium, and gold) are about 1.6 to 2.0 times greater than in H-group chondrites, and siderophile/nickel ratios are, with one exception, those expected from LL-L-H trends. This evidence indicates that Netscha?vo is an extremely iron-rich member of the ordinary chondrite sequence, and that plausible models to account for the ordinary chondrite sequence must produce materials having iron/silicon ratios 25 percent greater than those in CI carbonaceous chondrites. The existence of Netscha?vo emphasizes that the chondritic meteorites in terrestrial collections are a biased and incomplete selection of primitive solar system materials.     

Multicolor observations of phobos with the viking lander cameras: evidence for a carbonaceous chondritic composition

The reflectivity of Phobos has been determined in the spectral region from 0.4 to 1.1 micrometers from images taken with a Viking lander camera. The reflectivity curve is flat in this spectral interval and the geometric albedo equals 0.05 +/- 0.01. These results, together with Phobos's reflectivity spectrum in the ultraviolet, are compared with laboratory spectra of carbonaceous chondrites and basalts. The spectra of carbonaceous chondrites are consistent with the observations, whereas the basalt spectra are not. These findings raise the possibility that Phobos may be a captured object rather than a natural satellite of Mars.     

连环湖他拉红泡浮游生物组成及渔产潜力评估

他拉红泡浮游生物共计81个种属,其中浮游植物44个种属,浮游动物37个种属,浮游植物平均数量为687.56×104 ind/L,生物量8.8883mg/L,浮游动物平均数量270.69 ind/L,生物量1.5842mg/L。8月份浮游植物和浮游动物的种类和生物量最高,5、10月份种类和数量下降。全库总渔产潜力515580.5kg,总放养量3237613尾。     

Jupiter cloud composition, stratification, convection, and wave motion: a view from new horizons

Several observations of Jupiter's atmosphere made by instruments on the New Horizons spacecraft have implications for the stability and dynamics of Jupiter's weather layer. Mesoscale waves, first seen by Voyager, have been observed at a spatial resolution of 11 to 45 kilometers. These waves have a 300-kilometer wavelength and phase velocities greater than the local zonal flow by 100 meters per second, much higher than predicted by models. Additionally, infrared spectral measurements over five successive Jupiter rotations at spatial resolutions of 200 to 140 kilometers have shown the development of transient ammonia ice clouds (lifetimes of 40 hours or less) in regions of strong atmospheric upwelling. Both of these phenomena serve as probes of atmospheric dynamics below the visible cloud tops.     

The Lunar Laser Ranging Experiment: Accurate ranges have given a large improvement in the lunar orbit and new selenophysical information

The lunar ranging measurements now being made at the McDonald Observatory have an accuracy of 1 nsec in round-trip travel time. This corresponds to 15 cm in the one-way distance. The use of lasers with pulse-lengths of less than 1 nsec is expected to give an accuracy of 2 to 3 cm in the next few years. A new station is under construction in Hawaii, and additional stations in other countries are either in operation or under development. It is hoped that these stations will form the basis for a worldwide network to determine polar motion and earth rotation on a regular basis, and will assist in providing information about movement of the tectonic plates making up the earth's surface. Several mobile lunar ranging stations with telescopes having diameters of 1.0 m or less could, in the future, greatly extend the information obtainable about motions within and between the tectonic plates. The data obtained so far by the McDonald Observatory have been used to generate a new lunar ephemeris based on direct numerical integration of the equations of motion for the moon and planets. With this ephemeris, the range to the three Apollo retro-reflectors can be fit to an accuracy of 5 m by adjusting the differences in moments of inertia of the moon about its principal axes, the selenocentric coordinates of the reflectors, and the McDonald longitude. The accuracy of fitting the results is limited currently by errors of the order of an arc second in the angular orientation of the moon, as derived from the best available theory of how the moon rotates in response to the torques acting on it. Both a new calculation of the moon's orientation as a function of time based on direct numerical integration of the torque equations and a new analytic theory of the moon's orientation are expected to be available soon, and to improve considerably the accuracy of fitting the data. The accuracy already achieved routinely in lunar laser ranging represents a hundredfold improvement over any previously available knowledge of the distance to points on the lunar surface. Already, extremely complex structure has been observed in the lunar rotation and significant improvement has been achieved in our knowledge of lunar orbit. The selenocentric coordinates of the retroreflectors give improved reference points for use in lunar mapping, and new information on the lunar mass distribution has been obtained. Beyond the applications discussed in this article, however, the history of science shows many cases of previously unknown, phenomena discovered as a consequence of major improvements in the accuracy of measurements. It will be interesting to see whether this once again proves the case as we acquire an extended series of lunar distance observations with decimetric and then centimetric accuracy.     

微山湖产宽体金线蛭生化组成的分析

对山东微山湖产宽体金线蛭Whitmania pigra的常规体组成、氨基酸、脂肪酸含量等进行测定及分析。结果表明：宽体金线蛭体中水分、粗蛋白、总脂肪、灰分和糖类的质量分数（鲜重）分别为85．61％、11．24％、0．95％、0．77％和1．43％;用氨基酸自动分析仪检测到宽体金线蛭体组织中总氨基酸含量为614．58mg／g（干重）,其中谷氨酸（Glu）、天冬氨酸（Asp）、亮氨酸（Leu）、赖氨酸（Lys）和甘氨酸（Gly）含量较高,蛋氨酸（Met）含量较低。采用气相色谱仪检测到宽体金线蛭含有31种脂肪酸,其中廿碳烯酸占总脂肪酸的40．08％,尤以花生四烯酸（20：4n-6）含量最高,可达13．48％;油酸（18：1）含量占总脂肪酸的13．24％,单不饱和脂肪酸（MUFA）、多不饱和脂肪酸（PUFA）和高不饱和脂肪酸（HU—FA）分别占总脂肪酸的35．31％、46．66％和24．41％;∑n-6PUFA／∑n-3PUFA比值达3．24,远远高于淡水鱼和海水鱼。宽体金线蛭独特的脂肪酸和氨基酸组成特点或许是其高药用价值的重要依据之一。     

微山湖产宽体金线蛭生化组成的分析

对山东微山湖产宽体金线蛭Whitmania pigra的常规体组成、氨基酸、脂肪酸含量等进行测定及分析。结果表明:宽体金线蛭体中水分、粗蛋白、总脂肪、灰分和糖类的质量分数(鲜重)分别为85.61%、11.24%、0.95%、0.77%和1.43%;用氨基酸自动分析仪检测到宽体金线蛭体组织中总氨基酸含量为614.58 mg/g(干重),其中谷氨酸(Glu)、天冬氨酸(Asp)、亮氨酸(Leu)、赖氨酸(Lys)和甘氨酸(Gly)含量较高,蛋氨酸(Met)含量较低。采用气相色谱仪检测到宽体金线蛭含有31种脂肪酸,其中廿碳烯酸占总脂肪酸的40.08%,尤以花生四烯酸(20:4n-6)含量最高,可达13.48%;油酸(18:1)含量占总脂肪酸的13.24%,单不饱和脂肪酸(MUFA)、多不饱和脂肪酸(PUFA)和高不饱和脂肪酸(HUFA)分别占总脂肪酸的35.31%、46.66%和24.41%;Σn-6PUFA/∑n-3PUFA比值达3.24,远远高于淡水鱼和海水鱼。宽体金线蛭独特的脂肪酸和氨基酸组成特点或许是其高药用价值的重要依据之一。     

The breakup of a meteorite parent body and the delivery of meteorites to Earth

Whether many of the 10,000 meteorites collected in the Antarctic are unlike those failing elsewhere is contentious. The Antarctic H chondrites, one of the major classes of stony meteorites, include a number of individuals with higher induced thermoluminescence peak temperatures than observed among non-Antarctic H chondrites. The proportion of such individuals decreases with the mean terrestrial age of the meteorites at the various ice fields. These H chondrites have cosmic-ray exposure ages of about 8 million years, experienced little cosmic-ray shielding, and suffered rapid postmetamorphic cooling. Breakup of the H chondrite parent body, 8 million years ago, may have produced two types of material with different size distributions and thermal histories. The smaller objects reached Earth more rapidly through more rapid orbital evolution.