Soft-tissue vessels and cellular preservation in Tyrannosaurus rex

Soft tissues are preserved within hindlimb elements of Tyrannosaurus rex (Museum of the Rockies specimen 1125). Removal of the mineral phase reveals transparent, flexible, hollow blood vessels containing small round microstructures that can be expressed from the vessels into solution. Some regions of the demineralized bone matrix are highly fibrous, and the matrix possesses elasticity and resilience. Three populations of microstructures have cell-like morphology. Thus, some dinosaurian soft tissues may retain some of their original flexibility, elasticity, and resilience.     

Molecular mechanisms for the functionality of lubricant additives

Wear limits the life-span of many mechanical devices with moving parts. To reduce wear, lubricants are frequently enriched with additives, such as zinc phosphates, that form protective films on rubbing surfaces. Using first-principles molecular dynamics simulations of films derived from commercial additives, we unraveled the molecular origin of how antiwear films can form, function, and dissipate energy. These effects originate from pressure-induced changes in the coordination number of atoms acting as cross-linking agents to form chemically connected networks. The proposed mechanism explains a diverse body of experiments and promises to prove useful in the rational design of antiwear additives that operate on a wider range of surface materials, with reduced environmental side effects.     

A function for ascorbic acid in the metabolism of an insect

Homogenates of Blattella conjuncta oxidize L-tyrosine. The reaction is diminished by dialysis, but may be reactivated with L-ascorbic acid. Glutathione, pyridoxal phosphate, and folic acid also activate the system.     

Observation of superflow in solid helium

We report on the observation of nonclassical rotational inertia in solid helium-4 confined to an annular channel in a sample cell under torsional motion, demonstrating superfluid behavior. The effect shows up as a drop in the resonant oscillation period as the sample cell is cooled below 230 millikelvin. Measurement of 17 solid samples allows us to map out the boundary of this superfluid-like solid or supersolid phase from the melting line up to 66 bars. This experiment indicates that superfluid behavior is found in all three phases of matter.     

Directional dynamics in the photodissociation of oriented molecules

We observed directional dynamics in the photodissociation of an oriented molecule. When a laser dissociated hexapole-oriented carbonyl sulfide molecules, the three-dimensional recoil of carbon monoxide fragments, which we measured with ion imaging, was strongly asymmetric. We obtained a microscopic view of molecular bond breaking that revealed both the sign and the magnitude of the deflection angle of the fragment in the molecular frame. This experimental approach can be applied to study and control the three-dimensional dynamics of photoinitiated reactions of fixed molecules or molecules oriented by emerging techniques.