Scientists Clarify Origins of Lunar Metallic Iron

Scientists clarify origins of lunar metallic iron
Characterizations of ULnpFe0 on extremities of impact glass beads. Credit: Institute of Physics

“We discovered that the glass beads in the Chang’e-5 lunar soil can preserve iron particles of different sizes, from about 1 nanometer to 1 micrometer,” said Prof. Bai.

“It is generally difficult to distinguish npFe0 of different origins observed together in single samples. Here we used the rotation feature of the impact glass beads to clearly distinguish npFe0 formed before and after the solidification of the host glass beads.”

In this study, the scientists found numerous discrete large npFe0, tens of nanometers in size, which tended to concentrate towards the extremities of the glass beads. This concentration effect can cause ultralarge npFe0 to protrude from the extremities.

Suc...

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Serotonin 2C Receptor Regulates Memory in Mice and Humans: Implications for Alzheimer’s Disease

Artists rendition of a brain and neuron activity in a gold color.

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Cambridge in the U.K. and collaborating institutions have shown that serotonin 2C receptor in the brain regulates memory in people and animal models. The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, not only provide new insights into the factors involved in healthy memory but also in conditions associated with memory loss, like Alzheimer’s disease, and suggest novel avenues for treatment.

“Serotonin, a compound produced by neurons in the midbrain, acts as a neurotransmitter, passing messages between brain cells,” said co-corresponding author Dr. Yong Xu, professor of pediatrics—nutrition and associate director for basic sciences at the USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor.

“Serotonin-produc...

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A Possible World Record: Studying Thin Films Under Extreme Temperatures with Reflectometry

A possible world record: Studying thin films under extreme temperatures with reflectometry
Schematic of the Ni/Cu catalytic alloy-mediated EG synthesis on 3C–SiC on silicon. Credit: RSC Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1039/D3RA08289J

A team of researchers from ANSTO and University of Technology Sydney have set a record by conducting thin film experiments at 1,100 degrees Celsius, using the Spatz reflectometer equipped with a vacuum furnace.

The unique combination of neutron reflectometry with high temperature apparatus enables atomic-scale insights into thin film growth and diffusion processes. This is of relevance to a wide range of thin film technology and devices which undergo a range of processing and heat treatment conditions to optimize performance.

The UTS group, led by Francesca Iacopi and Aiswarya Pradeepkumar, has been studying the growth of thin carbon sheets (...

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Tiny Bright Objects discovered at Dawn of Universe baffle scientists

Circles of light on a black background
Researchers investigated three mysterious objects in the early universe. Shown here are their color images, composited from three NIRCam filter bands onboard the James Webb Space Telescope. They are remarkably compact at red wavelengths (earning them the term “little red dots”) with some evidence for spatial structure at blue wavelengths. Credit: Provided by researchers / Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

A recent discovery by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) confirmed that luminous, very red objects previously detected in the early universe upend conventional thinking about the origins and evolution of galaxies and their supermassive black holes.

An international team, led by Penn State researchers, using the NIRSpec instrument aboard JWST as part of the RUBIES survey...

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