A 48-million-year-old aphid--host plant association and complex life cycle: biogeographic evidence

Biogeographical and paleobotanical evidence suggests that the aphid subtribe Melaphidina has been associated with its sumac host plant since the early Eocene when these plants were continuously distributed across the Bering land bridge. Transfer experiments indicate that the American species, Melaphis rhois, shows an unusual complex life cycle, similar to that known in Chinese melaphidines, with some generations feeding on mosses as alternate host plants. As with the association with sumac, this complex life cycle may have been established in the melaphidine lineage before the southward retreat of sumac from Alaska 48 million years ago. This example suggests that the interactions and life histories shown by modern populations may be determined, in large part, by evolutionary commitments made in the distant past.     

Chaetopterus photoprotein: crystallization and cofactor requirements for bioluminescence

The Chaetopterus photoprotein has been isolated in an amorphous form (molecular weight, 120,000) whlich in (NH(4))(2)SO(4) sollutionl converts to a crystalline form (molecular weight, 184,000) having the same specific light-emittinig activity; quantum yields are 0.0093 and 0.0143, respectively. Two new cofactor reqluirements have been separated fronm impure extracts: a macromnolecule resembling a nucleoprotein, and a lipid-like substance.     

Calcium-induced peptide association to form an intact protein domain: 1H NMR structural evidence

The 70-residue carboxyl-terminal domain of the muscle contractile protein troponin-C contains two helix-loop-helix calcium (Ca)-binding sites that are related to each other by approximate twofold rotational symmetry. Hydrophobic residues from the helices and a short three residue beta sheet at the interface of the two sites act to stabilize the protein domain in the presence of Ca. A synthetic 34-residue peptide representing one of these sites (site III) has been synthesized and studied by H-1 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. In solution this peptide undergoes a Ca-induced conformational change to form the helix-loop-helix Ca-binding motif. Two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser effect spectra have provided evidence for the formation of a beta sheet and interactions between several hydrophobic residues from opposing helices as found in troponin-C. It is proposed that a symmetric two-site dimer similar in tertiary structure to the carboxyl-terminal domain of troponin-C forms from the assembly of two site III peptides in the Ca-bound form.     

Spherical crystallization: direct spherical agglomeration of salicylic Acid crystals during crystallization

Direct spherical agglomeration of salicylic acid crystals during crystallization is described. The needle-like salicylic acid crystals simultaneously form and agglomerate in a mixture of three partially miscible liquids, such as water, ethanol, and chloroform, with agitation. The agglomerates can be made directly into tablets because of their excellent flowability. Spherical crystallization could eliminate the usual separate agglomeration step after crystallization and may be adaptable to other pharmaceutical and chemical systems.     

Perineurium: evidence for contractile elements

Electron-microscopic study of mouse sciatic nerve reveals that perineurial cells contain filaments and associated opaque regions similar to those observed in smooth muscle. This finding is consistent with obsevations Which suggest that nerve might have a contractile property. In addition to their function in maintaining the connective tissue stroma of perineurium, as well as being a selective diffusion barrier, perineurial cells may serve the nerve in a contractile capacity.     

Thyrocalcitonin: evidence for physiological function

A calcium salt given by stomach tube in modest amounts, such as might be ingested in a normal meal, produced hypercalcemia in acutely thyroidectomized fasted rats, whereas in rats with intact thyroid glands the same dose of calcium had little or no detectable effect, presumably because of release of thyrocalcitonin. Thyrocalcitonin apparently protects against hypercalcemia during feeding after deprivation.     

Pluto: evidence for methane frost

Infrared photometry (1.2 to 2.2 micrometers) of Pluto provides evidence for frozen methane on the surface of the planet. This appears to be the first observational indication of this ice in the solar system. Its presence on Pluto suggests that the planet's albedo (reflectance) may be >/= 0.4 and that its diameter may be less than that of the moon.     

Cretaceous extinctions: evidence for wildfires and search for meteoritic material

Clay samples from three Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary sites contain 0.36 to 0.58 percent graphitic carbon, mainly as fluffy aggregates of 0.1 to 0.5 micrometers-apparently a worldwide layer of soot. It may have been produced by wildfires triggered by a giant meteorite. This carbon, corresponding to a global abundance of 0.021 +/- 0.006 gram per square centimeter, could have greatly enhanced the darkening and cooling of the earth by rock dust, which has been suggested as a cause of the extinctions. The surprisingly large amount of soot (10 percent of the present biomass of the earth) implies either that much of the earth's vegetation burned down or that substantial amounts of fossil fuels were ignited also. The particle-size distribution of the soot is similar to that assumed for the smoke cloud of "nuclear winter," but the global distribution is more uniform and the amounts are much greater, suggesting that soot production by large wildfires is about 10 times more efficient that has been assumed for a nuclear winter. Thus cooling would be more pervasive and lasting. No trace of meteoritic noble gases and no meteoritic spinel were found in these carbon fractions. Accordingly, limits can be set on the mass fraction of the meteorite that escaped degassing (相似文献   

Insulin biosynthesis: evidence for a precursor

Human islet cell tumor tissue and isolated islets of Langerhans from rats incorporated radioactive amino acids in vitro into insulin and a larger acid-alcohol soluble protein which could be separated from insulin by gel filtration. The amino acids were incorporated into the larger protein earlier than into insulin; only after incubation of islets for approximately 30 minutes did radioactivity begin to appear in insulin. The transfer of about 70 percent of the radioactivity of the larger protein to insulin was demonstrated in the absence of new peptide bond synthesis (cycloheximide), or during incubation with unlabeled amino acid (chase). The results indicate that the larger protein is a precursor in the biosynthesis of insulin. The name "proinsulin" is suggested for this protein.     

Favositid tabulates: evidence for poriferan affinity

Calcitic pseudomorphs of desma-like siliceous spicules found in the calcareous skeleton of a Devonian thamnoporid support the proposal of poriferan origin of at least some favositid Tabulata. These favositids arose from a group of Ordovician lithistid demosponges that adapted to toxic calcium excess in shallow, tropical marine environments by developing calicoblasts within the pinacoderm, supplementing their primary siliceous spicular skeletons with basally secreted calcium carbonate. They are tentatively recognized as an order of the subclass Sclerospongiae (class Demospongiae).     

Shunt bilirubin: evidence for two components

Studies with C(14)-labeled glycine and delta-aminolevulinic acid as heme-bilirubin precursors in man indicate that the early labeled or shunt bilirubin consists of two fractions. Fraction 1 requires 1 to 24 hours for maximum synthesis, is not dependent on marrow erythropoietic heme synthesis, and is possibly of anabolic origin (formed by a direct pathway from heme precursors). Fraction 2 requires 3 to 4 days for maximum production, is dependent on heme synthesis, and probably has its origin in the bone marrow, as a degradation product of red-cell heme.     

Mercury: infrared evidence for nonsynchronous rotation

An infrared observation of the dark side of Mercury made by Pettit and Nicholson in 1923 led them to suggest that the planet rotates nonsynchronously. Their early measurements, if taken at face value, would imply a brightness temperature of about 180 degrees K for the dark side. The asymmetry of the infrared phase curve is further interpreted as suggesting direct rotation.     

Sugar sweetness and pleasantness: evidence for different psychological laws

Sweetness and the pleasantness of sweetness of sucrose solutions and sweetened food conform to different functions. Sweetness rises with concentration, whereas pleasantness first rises and then decreases. The breakpoint appears to occur at a constant sweetness (that is, constant sensory) level.     

Polywater: methods for identifying polywater columns and evidence for ordered growth

The refractive indices of polywater columns in glass capillaries have been rapidly and accurately measured with an interference microscope. Polywater has been detected by this method in both quartz and Vycor glass capillaries. A comparison of refractive index measurements with measurements of optical anisotropy indicates that polywater initially condenses with an ordered structure.     

Optical matter: crystallization and binding in intense optical fields

Properly fashioned electromagnetic fields coupled to microscopic dielectric objects can be used to create arrays of extended crystalline and noncrystalline structures. Organization can be achieved in two ways: In the first, dielectric matter is transported in direct response to the externally applied standing wave optical fields. In the second, the external optical fields induce interactions between dielectric objects that can also result in the creation of complex structures. In either case, these new ordered structures, whose existence depends on the presence of both light and polarizable matter, are referred to as optical matter.     

Clouds of venus: evidence for their nature

The linear polarization of sunlight multiply scattered by the atmosphere, and cloud particles of Venus has been computed and compared with observations over the wavelength range from the ultraviolet to the infrared region. The following properties of the visible cloud layer are derived: the refractive index of the cloud particles is 1.45 +/- 0.02 at a wavelength of 0.55 micron, and there is an indication of a slight decrease in the value from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared region; the mean particle radius is very near 1 micron, and most of the particles are spherical; the cloud layer occurs high in the atmosphere where the pressure is about 50 millibars (equivalent to an altitude of approximately 20 kilometers on the earth). The results for the index of refraction eliminate the possibility that the visible clouds are composed of pure water or ice.     

Mercury radar imaging: evidence for polar ice

The first unambiguous full-disk radar mapping of Mercury at 3.5-centimeter wavelength, with the Goldstone 70-meter antenna transmitting and 26 antennas of the Very Large Array receiving, has provided evidence for the presence of polar ice. The radar experiments, conducted on 8 and 23 August 1991, were designed to image the half of Mercury not photographed by Mariner 10. The orbital geometry allowed viewing beyond the north pole of Mercury; a highly reflective region was clearly visible on the north pole during both experiments. This polar region has areas in which the circular polarization ratio (pt) was 1.0 to 1.4; values < approximately 0.1 are typical for terrestrial planets. Such high values of have hitherto been observed in radar observations only from icy regions of Mars and icy outer planet satellites.     

Galactokinase: evidence for a new racial polymorphism

Activities of galactokinase and galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase in red cells were assayed in a mixed racial population of 645 pregnant women. The distribution of individual transferase activities for black subjects was the same as that for whites. In contrast, the distributions of individual galactokinase activities differed significantly in blacks and whites, the mean for the black population being 30 percent lower than the mean for the white population. The same racial difference was found when red cell galactokinase activity was examined in males and in newborns. Because low-, intermediate-, and high-galactokinase activities appear to segregate within several black families, this observed difference suggests a new, racially determined enzyme polymorphism.