Organics captured from comet 81P/Wild 2 by the Stardust spacecraft

Organics found in comet 81P/Wild 2 samples show a heterogeneous and unequilibrated distribution in abundance and composition. Some organics are similar, but not identical, to those in interplanetary dust particles and carbonaceous meteorites. A class of aromatic-poor organic material is also present. The organics are rich in oxygen and nitrogen compared with meteoritic organics. Aromatic compounds are present, but the samples tend to be relatively poorer in aromatics than are meteorites and interplanetary dust particles. The presence of deuterium and nitrogen-15 excesses suggest that some organics have an interstellar/protostellar heritage. Although the variable extent of modification of these materials by impact capture is not yet fully constrained, a diverse suite of organic compounds is present and identifiable within the returned samples.     

A Chemoautotrophically Based Cave Ecosystem

Microbial mats discovered in a ground-water ecosystem in southern Romania contain chemoautotrophic bacteria that fix inorganic carbon, using hydrogen sulfide as an energy source. Analysis of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes showed that this chemoautotrophic production is the food base for 48 species of cave-adapted terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates, 33 of which are endemic to this ecosystem. This is the only cave ecosystem known to be supported by in situ autotrophic production, and it contains the only terrestrial community known to be chemoautotrophically based.     

Fate of a phenylpyrazole in vegetation and soil under tropical field conditions

The fate of fipronil, a phenylpyrazole insecticide, and its metabolites under tropical conditions was studied in soil and in vegetation after treatment for locust control. Two different plots were treated with a formulation of fipronil at doses of 5 and 10 g of active ingredient ha(-)(1), respectively. Vegetation and soil at depths of 0-5 and 5-20 cm were sampled for up to 2 months after treatment. After extraction and purification on fipronil immunoaffinity cartridges, residues were analyzed by gas chromatography using electron capture and mass detectors. In soil, a rapid initial decrease of fipronil was observed with a rapid formation of the sulfone and the photodegradate; the amide and the sulfide were not detected. In vegetation, a rapid initial decrease of fipronil was also observed with a rapid formation of mostly the sulfone; the photodegradate and the sulfide were also detected but at much lower concentrations. The metabolites resulting from the degradation of fipronil were similar in both soil and vegetation, but their relative concentrations were different.     

Crystal structure analysis of deamino-oxytocin: conformational flexibility and receptor binding

Two crystal structures of deamino-oxytocin have been determined at better than 1.1A resolution from isomorphous replacement and anomalous scattering x-ray measurements. In each of two crystal forms there are two closely related conformers with disulfide bridges of different chirality, which may be important in receptor recognition and activation.     

Rise and fall of species occupancy in Cenozoic fossil mollusks

In the time between speciation and extinction, a species' ecological and biogeographic footprint-its occupancy-will vary in response to macroecological drivers and historical contingencies. Despite their importance for understanding macroecological processes, general patterns of long-term species occupancy remain largely unknown. We documented the occupancy histories of Cenozoic marine mollusks from New Zealand. For both genera and species, these show a distinct pattern of increase to relatively short-lived peak occupancy at mid-duration, followed by a decline toward extinction. Thus, species at greatest risk for extinction are those that have already been in decline for a substantial period of time. This pattern of protracted rise and fall stands in contrast to that of incumbency, insofar as species show no general tendency to stay near maximal occupancy once established.     

An encephalitic form of listeriosis in broiler chickens

A disease outbreak characterized by torticollis, incoordination, and depression was seen in a commercial broiler operation in California. Listeria monocytogenes was isolated from brain tissue with some degree of difficulty, and only after culturing directly from the brain stem. No evidence of concurrent disease was found, and the source of the outbreak was undetermined.