PSI Paul Scherrer Institut’s Post

🔍 Peering into Space: Understanding Asteroid Ryugu with TESCAN Technology 🌌 The Hayabusa2 mission by JAXA was a groundbreaking effort to collect and analyze samples from asteroid 162173 Ryugu. This mission aimed to gather information about the asteroid’s composition, offering insights into the early solar system and the origins of life on Earth. Scientists have utilized TESCAN’s advanced microscopy technology to examine the samples in unprecedented detail. Using Focused Ion Beam-Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB-SEM), researchers have gained a deeper understanding of the prebiotic organic materials found on Ryugu. Key Insights: Sample Collection and Analysis: Hayabusa2 successfully retrieved pristine samples from Ryugu, which were meticulously prepared to maintain integrity during analysis. TESCAN’s Role: FIB-SEM techniques allowed scientists to explore the chemical processes that may have contributed to the development of life’s building blocks in space. Significant Findings: The study revealed complex organic compounds, supporting the theory that extraterrestrial objects could have played a role in delivering the components necessary for life to Earth. This research exemplifies the importance of combining international collaboration with state-of-the-art technology to advance our understanding of space and its connection to life on our planet. 🔗 Discover more about this fascinating study: https://hubs.la/Q02LpPfx0 #AsteroidResearch #TESCAN #Microscopy #SpaceScience #Hayabusa2 #JAXA #OriginsOfLife #Astrobiology #ScientificInnovation

I am thrilled to share my first-first author publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters: "PO and PN in the Envelope of VY Canis Majoris: Elucidating the Chemistry and Origin of Phosphorus." This study explores the enigmatic phosphorus chemistry in the circumstellar envelope of the hypergiant star VY Canis Majoris, offering insights into the complex processes of star formation and chemical enrichment in the universe. Our team leveraged high-resolution imaging from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to capture the first detailed maps of phosphorus-bearing molecules in a stellar envelope, revealing new structures and potential formation pathways. 🔬 Key Highlights: 1) Detection of PO and PN in spherical and fan-shaped structures around VY CMa 2) Correlation with other molecular species like NS and SiO, shedding light on phosphorus chemistry in extreme environments 3) Implications for phosphorus abundance and its role in stellar evolution and astrobiology Check out the full paper here: https://lnkd.in/gUbFthjp A huge thanks to my co-authors and collaborators from the University of Arizona, University of Manchester, University of Minnesota, and KU Leuven. #Astrochemistry #Astronomy #StellarEvolution #ALMA #PhosphorusInSpace #Research #VYCanisMajoris

🔍 Peering into Space: Understanding Asteroid Ryugu with TESCAN Technology 🌌 The Hayabusa2 mission by JAXA was a groundbreaking effort to collect and analyze samples from asteroid 162173 Ryugu. This mission aimed to gather information about the asteroid’s composition, offering insights into the early solar system and the origins of life on Earth. Scientists have utilized TESCAN’s advanced microscopy technology to examine the samples in unprecedented detail. Using Focused Ion Beam-Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB-SEM), researchers have gained a deeper understanding of the prebiotic organic materials found on Ryugu. Key Insights: Sample Collection and Analysis: Hayabusa2 successfully retrieved pristine samples from Ryugu, which were meticulously prepared to maintain integrity during analysis. TESCAN’s Role: FIB-SEM techniques allowed scientists to explore the chemical processes that may have contributed to the development of life’s building blocks in space. Significant Findings: The study revealed complex organic compounds, supporting the theory that extraterrestrial objects could have played a role in delivering the components necessary for life to Earth. This research exemplifies the importance of combining international collaboration with state-of-the-art technology to advance our understanding of space and its connection to life on our planet. 🔗 Discover more about this fascinating study: https://hubs.la/Q02LpPsB0 #AsteroidResearch #TESCAN #Microscopy #SpaceScience #Hayabusa2 #JAXA #OriginsOfLife #Astrobiology #ScientificInnovation

🌍 Synthetic Ecosystems: Bridging the Test Tube and the Biosphere 🌱🔬 🔍 High-download preprint explores the future of bioengineering #ecosystems, from test tube setups to vast landscapes. 💡 Examines three key types of synthetic ecosystems with applications in biomedical engineering, astrobiology, space exploration, and climate change. 🔗 Click to find more interesting insights: https://lnkd.in/gDU8jw_w #SyntheticBiology #EcosystemEngineering #Sustainability

All molecules have unique fingerprints of emitted light. Some molecules have different forms that can present as mirror images of themselves, like our hands. These are important as life on Earth has a preference; potentially with a space origin. In our new paper, we explore what we know about these molecules and provide new information that will help us find them over the next decade. #astronomy #datascience #chemistry #supercomputing #molecularbiology #astrochemistry #astrobiology https://lnkd.in/gqbYeM3Z

This May, CENTRA #postdoc Alex Vano-Vinuales is visiting the SXS group in TAPIR at Caltech in #Pasadena, #California, #US. He delivered a #seminar entitled "Current numerical efforts on free hyperboloidal evolutions": https://lnkd.in/dRwW4xcZ. Alex talked about the hyperboloidal #research currently being carried out at #CENTRA. Fruitful #interactions occur between Alex and some postdocs and #students of the SXS group towards comparing signals at #infinity obtained with two approaches, Cauchy-characteristic evolution and #hyperboloidal. Alex's stay overlapped with the seminar visit of Rodrigo Macedo, who had previously been a long-term visitor to #CENTRA and is also part of the Hyperboloidal Research #Network. Apart from more scientific discussions, there was also time to visit Joshua Tree #NationalPark! SXS: https://lnkd.in/dcp_ssNV TAPIR: https://lnkd.in/dg-PFkHm Hyperboloidal Research Network: https://hyperboloid.al/ Joshua Tree National Park Association #Astrophysics #Relativity #Cosmology

Beneath the icy shell of Mimas, one of Saturn's tiniest moons, lies a secret: a young global ocean of liquid water! Dr Nick Cooper of School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, co-author of this discovery, explains: "This discovery adds Mimas to an exclusive club of moons with internal oceans, including Enceladus and Europa, but with a unique difference: its ocean is remarkably young, estimated to be only 5 to 15 million years old." This finding broadens our understanding of potential life beyond Earth. Even seemingly inactive moons can harbor hidden oceans. Dr Cooper emphasises the collaborative nature of this discovery: “This has been a great team effort, with colleagues from five different institutions and three different countries coming together under the leadership of Dr Valery Lainey to unlock another fascinating and unexpected feature of the Saturn system, using data from the Cassini mission.” Dive deeper! Watch the explainer video by Observatoire de Paris | PSL and read the full paper in Nature: https://lnkd.in/eT3yaQ_8 #Cassinimission #Saturn #SpaceExploration

Delving into the early Solar System, a recent publication titled “HED zircons as a window into the solar system’s first crust: Decoupling primordial differentiation, metamorphism and impact events through textural and chemical studies” sheds light on the intricate processes that shaped our cosmic neighborhood. The study of Howardite-Eucrite-Diogenite (HED) meteorites, believed to originate from the asteroid 4 Vesta, reveals valuable insights into early planet formation. By combining U-Pb geochronology, trace element geochemistry and microstructural analysis, the researchers unravel the magmatic, metamorphic and impact history of the HED parent body. Key findings include diverse zircon textures indicating variable histories of impact deformation and high-temperature recrystallization. The geochronological and geochemical data suggest primary differentiation in the parent body during the first million years and prolonged thermal metamorphism from impact heating and crustal cooling. The research highlights major impacts during and after the parent body differentiation, suggesting impacts continued for over 100 million years. This publication was authored by mélanie barboni and Madeline Marquardt from the School of Earth and Space Exploration at ASU, Nicholas Timms from Curtin University, and Elizabeth Ann Bell from UCLA. The research utilized the Eyring Materials Center’s SEM Electron Microprobe Analyzer and Raman Spectrometer for critical analysis. Explore this fascinating research and enhance your understanding of early planetary processes by reading the full article: https://lnkd.in/eW6Vh9za. Learn more about the SEM Electron Microprobe Analyzer: https://lnkd.in/e8SwPQ-g Learn more about the Raman Spectrometer: https://lnkd.in/e_p2GXWS #ASUCores #ASUResearch #PlanetaryScience #Geochronology #Meteorites #MineralScience #MaterialsScience #SolarSystem #ScientificResearch #Innovation #SESE #CurtinUniversity #UCLA ASU Knowledge Enterprise ASU Core Research Facilities

📃Scientific paper: Origin of the Moon and Lunar Water Abstract: Three principal concepts regarding lunar formation have been examined: the accretion hypothesis, the mega-impact theory, and the multi-impact model. The multi-impact model amalgamates the salient facets of the mega-impact theory and the accretion hypothesis. As per this model, fragments of the terrestrial crust are ejected into space during collisions with numerous planetesimals (proto-asteroids) with diameters around 10-100 kilometers. This ejecta interacts with the accretion disk, augmenting its mass. Different models of lunar formation yield varied conclusions regarding the quantity of lunar water, its subsurface distribution, and isotopic composition. Geomorphological structures in the lunar polar regions (smoothed craters, landslides, regular patterns) suggest the presence of a substantial permafrost layer with an approximate thickness of a kilometer. ;Comment: Review article, published in "Earth and Planetary Science", 2023, 2(2) Continued on ES/IODE ➡️ https://etcse.fr/sPb1B ------- If you find this interesting, feel free to follow, comment and share. We need your help to enhance our visibility, so that our platform continues to serve you.