| 1. |
- Lindgren, Johan, et al.
(author)
-
Fossil insect eyes shed light on trilobite optics and the arthropod pigment screen
- 2019
-
In: Nature. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 573:7772, s. 122-125
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fossilized eyes permit inferences of the visual capacity of extinct arthropods1–3. However, structural and/or chemical modifications as a result of taphonomic and diagenetic processes can alter the original features, thereby necessitating comparisons with modern species. Here we report the detailed molecular composition and microanatomy of the eyes of 54-million-year-old crane-flies, which together provide a proxy for the interpretation of optical systems in some other ancient arthropods. These well-preserved visual organs comprise calcified corneal lenses that are separated by intervening spaces containing eumelanin pigment. We also show that eumelanin is present in the facet walls of living crane-flies, in which it forms the outermost ommatidial pigment shield in compound eyes incorporating a chitinous cornea. To our knowledge, this is the first record of melanic screening pigments in arthropods, and reveals a fossilization mode in insect eyes that involves a decay-resistant biochrome coupled with early diagenetic mineralization of the ommatidial lenses. The demonstrable secondary calcification of lens cuticle that was initially chitinous has implications for the proposed calcitic corneas of trilobites, which we posit are artefacts of preservation rather than a product of in vivo biomineralization4–7. Although trilobite eyes might have been partly mineralized for mechanical strength, a (more likely) organic composition would have enhanced function via gradient-index optics and increased control of lens shape.
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| 2. |
- Bowden, Stephen, et al.
(author)
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The thermal alteration by pyrolysis of the organic component of small projectiles of mudrock during capture at hypervelocity
- 2008
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In: Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis. - : Elsevier BV. - 0165-2370. ; 82, s. 312-314
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In a series of experiments the pyrolytic effects of the heating induced during the hypervelocity impact(HVI) of small projectiles of high TOC mudrock were observed. Impacts at these high speeds (km s-1)release sufficient energy to vaporise metal projectiles, and the temperatures created greatly exceed thepyrolysis temperatures typically employed during laboratory studies of the thermal alteration ofsedimentary organic matter. Despite this the organic geochemical analyses of projectiles of OrcadianLaminite impacted into targets of sand and water at hypervelocities provides evidence that the structuralbackbone of biomarkers has remained intact and that only a comparatively low degree of thermalalteration (pre-oil window) has occurred. While further studies are necessary, it appears that the organiccomponent of a projectile captured at hypervelocity will be a slightly thermally altered sample of itsprecursor.
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| 3. |
- Dredge, Ian, et al.
(author)
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Elevated flux of cosmic spherules (micrometeorites) in Ordovician rocks of the Durness Group, NW Scotland
- 2010
-
In: Scottish Journal of Geology. - : Geological Society of London. - 0036-9276 .- 2041-4951. ; 46, s. 7-16
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Limestone samples from the Cambro-Ordovician Durness Group were crushed, acid-digested and searched for evidence of micrometeorites. Eleven melted micrometeorites were extracted from the magnetic fraction of samples from the Balnakeil and Croisaphuill formations near the top of the group. Other formations in the Durness Group did not yield micrometeorites. Only melted spherules with a distinctive dendroidal crystalline structure (I-type cosmic spherules) were accepted as definite micrometeorites. They represent a flux of micrometeorites one to two orders of magnitude greater than at present. The micrometeorite-bearing formations are of Arenig age, coincident with the onset of an enhanced flux of extraterrestrial material identified by the occurrence of fossil meteorites in Sweden.
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| 4. |
- Fujiya, Wataru, et al.
(author)
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Migration of D-type asteroids from the outer Solar System inferred from carbonate in meteorites
- 2019
-
In: Nature Astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-3366. ; 3:10, s. 910-915
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent dynamical models of Solar System evolution and isotope studies of rock-forming elements in meteorites have suggested that volatile-rich asteroids formed in the outer Solar System beyond Jupiter’s orbit, despite being currently located in the main asteroid belt. The ambient temperature under which asteroids formed is a crucial diagnostic to pinpoint the original location of asteroids and is potentially determined by the abundance of volatiles they contain. In particular, abundances and 13C/12C ratios of carbonates in meteorites record the abundances of carbon-bearing volatile species in their parent asteroids. However, the sources of carbon for these carbonates remain poorly understood. Here we show that the Tagish Lake meteorite contains abundant carbonates with consistently high 13C/12C ratios. The high abundance of 13C-rich carbonates in Tagish Lake excludes organic matter as their main carbon source. Therefore, the Tagish Lake parent body, presumably a D-type asteroid10, must have accreted a large amount of 13C-rich CO2 ice. The estimated 13C/12C and CO2/H2O ratios of ice in Tagish Lake are similar to those of cometary ice. Thus, we infer that at least some D-type asteroids formed in the cold outer Solar System and were subsequently transported into the inner Solar System owing to an orbital instability of the giant planets.
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| 5. |
- Gyllemark, Paula, et al.
(author)
-
Are other tick-borne infections overlooked in patients investigated for Lyme neuroborreliosis? : A large retrospective study from South-eastern Sweden
- 2021
-
In: Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. - : Elsevier GMBH. - 1877-959X .- 1877-9603. ; 12:5
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In Europe, the hard tick Ixodes ricinus is considered the most important vector of human zoonotic diseases. Human pathogenic agents spread by I. ricinus in Sweden include Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.), Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Rickettsia helvetica, the recently described Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Borrelia miyamotoi, tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), and Babesia spp. (Babesia microti, Babesia venatorum and Babesia divergens). Since these pathogens share the same vector, co-infections with more than one tick-borne pathogen may occur and thus complicate the diagnosis and clinical management of the patient due to possibly altered symptomatology. Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., TBEV and B. miyamotoi are well-known to cause infections of the central nervous system (CNS), whereas the abilities of other tick-borne pathogens to invade the CNS are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and clinical impact of tick-borne pathogens other than B. burgdorferi s.l. in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum samples of patients who were under investigation for Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) in a tick-endemic region of South-eastern Sweden. CSF and serum samples from 600 patients, recruited from the Regions of center dot Ostergo center dot tland County, Jo center dot nko center dot ping County and Kalmar County in South-eastern Sweden and investigated for LNB during the period of 2009-2013, were retrospectively collected for analysis. The samples were analysed by real-time PCR for the presence of nucleic acid from B. burgdorferi s.l., B. miyamotoi, A. phagocytophilum, Rickettsia spp., N. mikurensis, TBEV and Babesia spp. Serological analyses were conducted in CSF and serum samples for all patients regarding B. burgdorferi s.l., and for the patients with CSF mononuclear pleocytosis, analyses of antibodies to B. miyamotoi, A. phagocytophilum, spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae, TBEV and B. microti in serum were performed. The medical charts of all the patients with CSF mononuclear pleocytosis and patients with positive PCR findings were reviewed. Of the 600 patients, 55 (9%) presented with CSF mononuclear pleocytosis, 13 (2%) of whom had Borrelia-specific antibodies in the CSF. One patient was PCRpositive for N. mikurensis, and another one was PCR-positive for Borrelia spp. in serum. No pathogens were detected by PCR in the CSF samples. Four patients had serum antibodies to B. miyamotoi, four patients to A. phagocytophilum, five patients to SFG rickettsiae, and six patients to TBEV. One patient, with antibodies to SFG
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| 6. |
- Henningsson, Anna, et al.
(author)
-
Low risk of seroconversion or clinical disease in humans after a bite by an Anaplasma phagocytophilum-infected tick
- 2015
-
In: Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. - : Elsevier. - 1877-959X .- 1877-9603. ; 6:6, s. 787-792
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The risk of contracting human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) after a tick bite is mainly unknown. In this study we investigated the clinical and serological response in 30 humans bitten by ticks positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Group A), 30 humans bitten by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.)-positive ticks (Group B), and 30 humans bitten by ticks negative for both A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. (Group C). Ticks, blood samples and questionnaires were collected from tick-bitten humans at 34 primary healthcare centres in Sweden and in the Åland Islands, Finland, at the time of the tick bite and after three months. A total of 2553 ticks detached from humans in 2007-2009 were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction, and 31 (1.2%) were positive for A. phagocytophilum, 556 (21.8%) were positive for B. burgdorferi s.l., and eight (0.3%) were co-infected by A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. The overall prevalence of Anaplasma IgG antibodies in the included participants (n=90) was 17%, and there was no significant difference between the groups A-C. Only one of the participants (in Group C) showed a four-fold increase of IgG antibodies against A. phagocytophilum at the three-month follow-up, but reported no symptoms. The frequency of reported symptoms did not differ between groups A-C, and was unrelated to the findings of A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. in the detached ticks. We conclude that the risk for HGA or asymptomatic seroconversion after a tick bite in Sweden or in the Åland Islands is low, even if the tick is infected by A. phagocytophilum.
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| 7. |
- Lindgren, Paula, et al.
(author)
-
A demonstration of an affinity between pyrite and organic matter in a hydrothermal setting
- 2011
-
In: Geochemical Transactions. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1467-4866. ; 12, s. 3-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- One of the key-principles of the iron-sulphur world theory is to bring organic molecules close enough to interact with each other, using the surface of pyrite as a substrate in a hydrothermal setting. The present paper explores the relationship of pyrite and organic matter in a hydrothermal setting from the geological record; in hydrothermal calcite veins from Carboniferous limestones in central Ireland. Here, the organic matter is accumulated as coatings around, and through, pyrite grains. Most of the pyrite grains are euhedral-subhedral crystals, ranging in size from ca 0.1-0.5 mm in diameter, and they are scattered throughout the matrix of the vein calcite. The organic matter was deposited from a hydrothermal fluid at a temperature of at least 200 degrees C, and gives a Raman signature of disordered carbon. This study points to an example from a hydrothermal setting in the geological record, demonstrating that pyrite can have a high potential for the concentration and accumulation of organic materials.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Lindgren, Paula, et al.
(author)
-
Concentration of organic matter in hydrothermal deposits
- 2008
-
Conference paper (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- Organic matter with various origins is commonly associated with hydrothermal activity. Examples from the terrestrial record include hydrothermally produced petroleum (Simoneit 1988), the possible formation of abiotic organic molecules (Holm 1992), and present-day biological activity around hydrothermal vents and hot springs (Corliss et al. 1979; Reysenbach and Cady 2001). If the conditions for preservation of the organic matter are favourable, hydrothermal deposits could be suitable sites for the detection of extraterrestrial organic matter, for example on Mars (e.g. Simoneit et al. 1998).The study of hydrothermal deposits in the terrestrial record allows us to gain more knowledge of the distribution of organic matter in various fossil hydrothermal settings. We have investigated fossil hydrothermal deposits on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, where the heat from igneous intrusions (Paleogene dolerite sills) in wet carbon-rich shale (Jurassic) has caused localized hydrothermal activity with the mobilization of organic-rich fluids. Here, the organic matter is accumulated in hydrothermal deposits: It occurs as vesicular hydrocarbon, located in hydrothermal veins together with calcite, chlorite and quartz, and as a cm-dm thick sheet sandwiched between the shale and the intrusive body. Organic matter also occurs in hydrothermally precipitated calcite veins that cross-cuts the igneous intrusion, and in vesicles of the igneous rock.This is one example from the terrestrial record showing that where organic matter is available, it can be mobilised and concentrated as a result of hydrothermal activity. The same process of carbon concentration could have taken place in ancient martian hydrothermal systems, induced by igneous activity or bolide impacts.
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| 10. |
- Lindgren, Paula, et al.
(author)
-
Organic geochemistry of the Haughton Impact Structure
- 2008
-
Conference paper (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- The Haughton Impact Structure (HIS) formed 39 Ma ago. The target rocks include Lower Palaeozoic aged limestone that contain small quantities of solvent extractable organic matter. The target bedrock, hydrothermal deposits and limestone clasts within impact melt breccias all yield fossil organic matter that has been thermally matured to varying degrees. But unusually for a terrestrial impact crater, molecular biomarkers survive. While many other impact structures on Earth (e.g. Gardnos) possess lithologies with associated organic carbon, thermal maturation prior or subsequent to the impact has destroyed any biomarkers that were present (note that this is not necessarily due to the impact itself). In other instances the biomarkers present are found in hydrocarbon accumulations and have migrated through the structure (e.g. Siljan). The HIS is unique in not experiencing subsequent regional metamorphism, furthermore the sedimentary organic matter is mostly present within the target rocks as inclusions of organic matter and not a free continuous petroleum phase (it has not migrated).The extraction and analysis of biomarkers from impactites from the HIS radically alters how an organic geochemist, looking to detect ancient molecular evidence of life, views the surface of a planetary body. For craters of a certain diameter (23 km), impact cratering, far from being an agent that obliterates the biomarker fossil record, can be shown to be a geological process more akin to tectonic activity: it has the potential to exhume geological formations that would otherwise be buried – albeit at the cost of a relatively minor increase in thermal maturity.
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
- Lindgren, Paula, et al.
(author)
-
Putative fossil life in a hydrothermal system of the Dellen impact structure, Sweden
- 2010
-
In: International Journal of Astrobiology. - Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. - 1473-5504 .- 1475-3006. ; 9:3, s. 137-146
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The role of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) in regulating glucose uptake in L6 skeletal muscle cells was investigated. [H-3]-2-Deoxyglucose uptake was increased in differentiated L6 cells by insulin, acetylcholine, oxotremorine-M and carbachol. mAChR-mediated glucose uptake was inhibited by the AMPK inhibitor Compound C. Whole cell radioligand binding using [H-3]-N-methyl scopolamine chloride identified mAChRs in differentiated but not undifferentiated L6 cells and M-3 mAChR mRNA was detected only in differentiated cells. M-3 mAChRs are Gq-coupled, and cholinergic stimulation by the rnAChR agonists acetylcholine, oxotremorine-M and carbachol increased Ca2+ in differentiated but not undifferentiated L6 cells. This was due to muscarinic but not nicotinic activation as responses were antagonised by the muscarinic antagonist atropine but not the nicotinic antagonist tubocurarine. Western blotting showed that both carbachol and the AMPK activator AICAR increased phosphorylation of the AMPK alpha subunit at Thr172, with responses to carbachol blocked by Compound C and the CaMKK inhibitor STO609 but not by the PI3K inhibitor wortmannin. AICAR-stimulated AMPK phosphorylation was not sensitive to STO-609, confirming that this compound inhibits CaMKK but not the classical AMPK kinase LKB1. The TAK1 inhibitor (5Z)-7-oxozeaenol and the G(i) inhibitor pertussis toxin both failed to block AMPK phosphorylation in response to carbachol. Using CHO-K1 cells stably expressing each of the mAChR subtypes (M-1-M-4), it was determined that only the M-1 and M-3 mAChRs phosphorylate AMPK, confirming a G(q)-dependent mechanism. This study demonstrates that activation of M-3 mAChRs in L6 skeletal muscle cells stimulates glucose uptake via a CaMKK-AMPK-dependent mechanism, independent of the insulin-stimulated pathway.
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| 13. |
- Lindgren, Paula, 1977-, et al.
(author)
-
Pyrite as a template for carbon fixation
- 2009
-
In: Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biospheres. - Dordrecht : Springer. ; , s. 370-371
-
Conference paper (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- An important process in the evolution of life is the precipitation and concentration of organic species. There are several examples of minerals acting as templates for the accumulation and concentration of organic matter. These include for instance clays (e.g. Cairns-Smith and Hartman, 1986), radioactive minerals (e.g. Rasmussen, et al. 1993), zeolites and feldspars (e.g. Smith, et al. 1999) and the sulphide mineral pyrite (FeS2) (e.g. Wächtershäuser, 1988). Wächtershäuser (1988) suggested that prebiotic chemistry and eventually life itself could have started on the surface of pyrite. Pyrite carries a slight positive electrical charge, and can attract negatively charged organic molecules, bringing them close enough to interact. Pyrite is also oil-wet in some circumstances (Yusupova, 2002). This means that if the mineral is exposed to a mix of oil and water, the oil will preferentially adhere to the surface of pyrite. We have studied migrated organic matter in the Irish Carboniferous, including in sulphide deposits, to assess whether sulphides in fact do act as templates for organics. Here, pyrite was found acting as a template for carbon fixation in hydrothermal calcite veins, cutting through limestone. The pyrite crystals are ca. 1 mm in diameter and scattered throughout the vein matrix. The organic matter is migrated bitumen, and appears as smooth and rounded solid droplets, concentrated around the pyrite crystals. Scanning electron microscope analyses show the organics occurring as a ca. 150 µm thick and even coating around the pyrite crystals. Sulphide templates could be important for carbon fixation on Mars. There is widespread evidence of that sulphur species are prominent in Martian surface environments, assumed to have been introduced to the surface through volcanic activity. Currently, the Martian surface is highly oxidizing and therefore sulphates predominate, but early in the planet’s history reducing conditions pertained. Accordingly it has been suggested that sulphides occurs on Mars (Burns and Fisher, 1990), now preserved at depth. Sulphides are also known to be present on Mars from Martian meteorites (e.g. Greenwood, et al. 2000). Sulphides are sources of fuel for micro-organisms that oxidize sulphides on Earth, and the same could have been the case on Mars (Bishop, et al. 2004). The carbon coated pyrite in this study, is one example from the geological record showing that terrestrial sulphides can have a high potential for the preservation of organic materials. This could also be possible on Mars, and therefore Martian sulphides are good targets for seeking evidence of putative Martian life.
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| 14. |
- Lindgren, Paula, et al.
(author)
-
Signatures of the post-hydration heating of highly aqueously altered CM carbonaceous chondrites and implications for interpreting asteroid sample returns
- 2020
-
In: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. - : Elsevier BV. - 0016-7037. ; 289, s. 69-92
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The CM carbonaceous chondrites have all been aqueously altered, and some of them were subsequently heated in a parent body environment. Here we have sought to understand the impact of short duration heating on a highly aqueously altered CM through laboratory experiments on Allan Hills (ALH) 83100. Unheated ALH 83100 contains 83 volume per cent serpentine within the fine-grained matrix and altered chondrules. The matrix also hosts grains of calcite and dolomite, which are often intergrown with tochilinite, Fe(Ni) sulphides (pyrrhotite, pentlandite), magnetite and organic matter. Some of the magnetite formed by replacement of Fe(Ni) sulphides that were accreted from the nebula. Laboratory heating to 400 °C has caused partial dehydroxylation of serpentine and loss of isotopically light oxygen leading to an increase in bulk δ18O and fall in Δ17O. Tochilinite has decomposed to magnetite, whereas carbonates have remained unaltered. With regards to infrared spectroscopy (4000–400 cm−1; 2.5–25 µm), heating to 400 °C has resulted in decreased emissivity (increased reflectance), a sharper and more symmetric OH band at 3684 cm−1 (2.71 µm), a broadening of the Si[sbnd]O stretching band together with movement of its minimum to longer wavenumbers, and a decreasing depth of the Mg[sbnd]OH band (625 cm−1; 16 µm). The Si[sbnd]O bending band is unmodified by mild heating. With heating to 800 °C the serpentine has fully dehydroxylated and recrystallized to ∼Fo60/70 olivine. Bulk δ18O has further increased and Δ17O decreased. Troilite and pyrrhotite have formed, and recrystallization of pentlandite has produced Fe,Ni metal. Calcite and dolomite were calcined at ∼700 °C and in their place is an un-named Ca-Fe oxysulphide. Heating changes the structural order of organic matter so that Raman spectroscopy of carbon in the 800 °C sample shows an increased (D1 + D4) proportional area parameter. The infrared spectrum of the 800 °C sample confirms the abundance of Fe-bearing olivine and is very similar to the spectrum of naturally heated stage IV CM Pecora Escarpment 02010. The temperature-related mineralogical, chemical, isotopic and spectroscopic signatures defined in ALH 83100 will help to track the post-hydration thermal histories of carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, and samples returned from the primitive asteroids Ryugu and Bennu.
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| 15. |
- Martell, Josefin, et al.
(author)
-
Shock deformation in zircon grains from the Mien impact structure, Sweden
- 2021
-
In: Meteoritics and Planetary Science. - : Wiley. - 1086-9379 .- 1945-5100. ; 56:2, s. 362-378
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recognition of impact-induced deformation of minerals is crucial for the identification and confirmation of impact structures as well as for the understanding of shock wave behavior and crater formation. Shock deformed mineral grains from impact structures can also serve as important geochronometers, precisely dating the impact event. We investigated zircon grains from the Mien impact structure in southern Sweden with the aim of characterizing shock deformation. The grains were found in two samples of impact melt rock with varying clast content, and in one sample of suevitic breccia. We report the first documentation of so-called “FRIGN zircon” (former reidite in granular neoblastic zircon) from Mien (pre-erosion diameter 9 km), which confirms that this is an important impact signature also in relatively small impact structures. Furthermore, the majority of investigated zircon grains contain other shock-related microtextures, most notably granular and microporous textures, that occur more frequently in grains found in the impact melt than in the suevitic breccia. Our findings show that zircon grains that are prime candidates for establishing a new and improved age refinement of the Mien impact structure are present in the impact melt.
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| 16. |
- Parnell, John, et al.
(author)
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Sulfur isotope signatures for rapid colonization of an impact crater by thermophilic microbes
- 2010
-
In: Geology. - 0091-7613 .- 1943-2682. ; 38:3, s. 271-274
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In the 23-km-diameter Haughton impact structure, Canadian High Arctic, in sulfate-rich bedrock, widespread hydrothermal sulfide mineralization occurred in breccias formed during the impact. The sulfides exhibit extreme sulfur isotopic fractionation relative to the original sulfate, requiring microbial sulfate reduction by thermophiles throughout the crater. This evidence of widespread microbial activity demonstrates that colonization could occur within the lifetime of a moderately sized, impact-induced hydrothermal system. The pyrite was subsequently oxidized to jarosite, which may also have been microbially mediated. The successful detection of evidence for microbial life suggests that it would be a valuable technique to deploy in sulfate-rich impact terrain on Mars.
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| 17. |
- Parnell, John, et al.
(author)
-
Survival of reactive carbon through meteorite impact melting
- 2006
-
In: Geology. - 0091-7613. ; 34:12, s. 1029-1032
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Melt fragments in melt breccias from the Gardnos impact crater, Norway, contain abundant carbon. A high proportion of the carbon present in the original melt was preserved. The stripping of hydrogen from carbon during melting prevents later hydrocarbon formation, hence the carbon is fixed in place rather than volatilized. Underlying lithic breccias that were not melted record hydrocarbon generation as a response to less extreme heating. Despite the high-temperature history of the melt, the carbon from the Gardnos impact crater is highly disordered, rather than ordered crystalline graphite, and in this respect, it is comparable with carbon in chondrite chondrules. Disordered carbon bears functional groups upon weathering, and, therefore, carbon preserved through impact or other melting may be available for reworking into biologically relevant organic molecules.
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
- Plan, Anders, et al.
(author)
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Exceptional preservation of reidite in the Rochechouart impact structure, France: New insights into shock deformation and phase transition of zircon
- 2021
-
In: Meteoritics and Planetary Science. - : Wiley. - 1086-9379 .- 1945-5100. ; 56:10, s. 1795-1828
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Reidite, the high-pressure zircon (ZrSiO4) polymorph, is a diagnostic indicator of impact events. Natural records of reidite are, however, scarce, occurring mainly as micrometer-sized lamellae, granules, and dendrites. Here, we present a unique sequence of shocked zircon grains found within a clast from the Chassenon suevitic breccia (shock stageIII) from the ~200 Ma, 20–50 km wide Rochechouart impact structure in France. Our study comprises detailed characterization with scanning electron microscopy coupled with electron backscatter diffraction with the goal of investigating the stability and response of ZrSiO4 under extreme P–T conditions. The shocked zircon grains have preserved various amounts of reidite ranging from 4% up to complete conversion. The grains contain various variants of reidite, including the common habits: lamellae and granular reidite. In addition, three novel variants have been identified: blade, wedge, and massive domains. Several of these crosscut and offset each other, revealing that reidite can form at multiple stages during an impact event. Our data provide evidence that reidite can be preserved in impactites to a much greater extent than previously documented. We have further characterized reversion products of reidite in the form of fully recrystallized granular zircon grains and minute domains of granular zircon in reidite-bearing grains that occur in close relationship to reidite. Neoblasts in these grains have a distinct crystallography that is the result of systematic inheritance of reidite. We interpret that the fully granular grains have formed from prolonged exposure of temperatures in excess of 1200 °C. Reidite-bearing grains with granular domains might signify swift quenching from temperatures close to 1200 °C. Grains subjected to these specific conditions therefore underwent partial zircon-to-reidite reversion, instead of full grain recrystallization. Based on our ZrSiO4 microstructural constraints, we decipher the grains evolution at specific P–T conditions related to different impact stages, offering further understanding of the behavior of ZrSiO4 during shock.
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| 22. |
- Sjöqvist, Axel S.L. 1990, et al.
(author)
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Shock metamorphism and hydrothermal alteration of mafic impact ejecta from the Lockne impact structure, Sweden
- 2017
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In: GFF. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1103-5897 .- 2000-0863. ; 139:2, s. 119-128
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- © 2016 Geologiska FöreningenThe local geology at Kloxåsen is characterised by ejecta deposits from the 458 Ma Lockne marine impact. The Kloxåsen ejecta are located on a Caledonian parautochthonous unit, approximately 7 km from the centre of the 7.5-km-wide Lockne crater structure. The ejecta were deposited on the seafloor and were covered with seawater immediately after the impact event. Of special interest is a mafic impact breccia within the ejecta, which before the impact was Åsby dolerite that belongs to the Jämtland suite of the 1.25 Ga Central Scandinavian Dolerite Group. The mafic impact breccia occurs mainly as a coherent thin domain within a larger block of granitic breccia, which we interpret as a result of the in situ brecciation of a dolerite sill within granitic bedrock. Shock pressure in the doleritic breccia was low, in the order of 0.4 GPa, constrained by the presence of mechanically twinned clinopyroxene. Low shock pressure and brecciation corresponds well to the spall zone of an impact crater, where ejecta originate from. Whereas spalled ejecta can also show signs of having been exposed to high shock pressures, including shocked quartz, evidence for this was not found in the Kloxåsen ejecta. The breccia has been hydrothermally altered, but the ejecta are too far removed from the crater to have been affected by hydrothermal circulation in relation to Lockne’s impact event. Fluid inclusion analyses suggest that most of the alteration happened later, during the Caledonian orogeny. Geochemical analyses reflect observed mineral alterations well, such as serpentinisation of olivine.
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| 23. |
- Tijani, Muyideen Kolapo, et al.
(author)
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How to Detect Antibodies Against Babesia divergens in Human Blood Samples
- 2024
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In: Open Forum Infectious Diseases. - : OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. - 2328-8957. ; 11:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background. Today only indirect fluorescent antibody assays (IFAs) are commercially available to detect antibodies against Babesia divergens in humans. IFA is subjective and requires highly experienced staff. We have therefore developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based method for measuring anti-B. divergens immunoglobulin G antibodies in human blood samples. Methods. Crude merozoite extract from in vitro cultures of a new B. divergens isolate was used in ELISA to detect antibodies in different sets of samples: Borrelia burgdorferi-positive samples, healthy individuals, tick-bitten individuals including follow-up samples 3 months later, positive control samples from patients with an active Babesia infection, and samples from malaria-endemic regions. As a reference, IFA was used to detect antibodies in the tick-bitten samples. Western blot was used to evaluate reactions against specific bands in extracts with/without parasites. Results. Using IFA as the reference method, the sensitivity and specificity of the ELISA were 86% (12/14) and 100% (52/52). There was a very high correlation (r = -0.84; P = .0004) between IFA dilution factors and ELISA absorbances among the samples classified as positive. Five percent of the B. burgdorferi-positive samples were judged as weakly positive and 5% as strongly positive in our ELISA. Western blot showed that the immunodominant antigens (∼120 kDa) were from merozoites and not from erythrocytes. Conclusions. This ELISA can detect antibodies directed against B. divergens, and it can be a useful and easy assay to handle compared with IFA. The ELISA can also measure high and low levels of antibodies, which could give insight into the recency of a B. divergens infection.
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- Zachén, Gabriel, et al.
(author)
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A Survey of Metal Microstructures in the Vaca Muerta Mesosiderite
- 2019
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Summary: Microstructures from the millimeter- tonanometer scale have been studied and described in ametal nodule from the Vaca Muerta mesosiderite. Ourobservations are interpreted in the context of formationmechanisms.
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