PLEASE NOTE:
*
CCNet 108/2000 - 26 October 2000
--------------------------------
"More potential Earth-killing (sic)
asteroids orbit our sun than
recent estimates have suggested,
according to new data collected
with New Mexico telescopes. About 1,100
large Earth-crossing
asteroids are likely to be zinging
through the solar system,
according to an analysis by
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
researcher Scott Stuart. The risk of one
colliding with Earth is
still tiny, said Grant Stokes, head of
the New Mexico asteroid-
hunting project. But a larger number
increases the odds of a
catastrophic crash."
-- John
Fleck, Alburquerque Journale, 24 October 2000
(1) CURRENT ESTIMATES OF NEAR-EARTH ASTEROIDS TOO LOW
Andrew Yee <ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca>
(2) ESTIMATES OF KILLER ASTEROIDS ZOOMS
Alburquerque Journale, 24 October 2000
(3) RASH OF RED ASTEROIDS PUZZLES RESEARCHERS
Space.com, 25 October 2000
(4) LUNAR LEONIDS & LUNAR IMPACTS
NASA Science News News <snglist@lyris.msfc.nasa.gov>
(5) NEW "PLUTINO" DISCOVERED BETWEEN NEPTUNE AND PLUTO
Andrew Yee <ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca>
(6) ON THE ATMOSPHERIC FRAGMENTATION OF SMALL ASTEROIDS
Luigi Foschini <foschini@tesre.bo.cnr.it>
(7) UPPER EOCENE IMPACTS NOT RELATED TO LATE EOCENE MASS
EXTINCTION?
James Whitehead <jwhitehe@unb.ca>
(8) LATE EOCENE EXTINCTION
Steve Drury <s.a.drury@open.ac.uk>
(9) FRAGMENTED ASTEROIDS AND OCEAN IMPACTS
Michael Paine
(10) INTENATIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE ASTEROID DEFLECTION DILEMMA
Jens Kieffer-Olsen <dstdba@post4.tele.dk>
(11) FIRST UK CENTE FOR ASTROBIOLOGY
Chandra Wickramasinghe <xdw20@dial.pipex.com>
==================
(1) CURRENT ESTIMATES OF NEAR-EARTH ASTEROIDS TOO LOW
From Andrew Yee <ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca>
News Office
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
CONTACT:
Deborah
Halber
Roger Sudbury
MIT News
Office
Lincoln Lab,
(617)
258-9276
(781) 981-7024
halber@mit.edu
sudbury@LL.mit.edu
OCTOBER 24, 2000
MIT researcher says current estimates of near-Earth asteroids too
low
PASADENA, Calif. -- A Massachusetts Institute of Technology
researcher
said today that the number of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) may be
higher
than recent estimates.
Research presented by MIT graduate student Scott Stuart at a
meeting
of the American Astronomical Society's Division of Planetary
Science
showed that because the inclinations -- angles of orbit in
relation to
the plane of the Earth's orbit around the sun -- of known NEAs
are not
representative of the entire population, there may be more
undetected
NEAs out there.
NEAs with low inclinations are easier to find than highly
inclined NEAs,
Stuart noted. Thus, the known NEAs tend to have low inclinations
rather
than being representative of the population.
With the new determination of higher inclinations for the NEA
population, researchers at MIT Lincoln Laboratory now estimate
that there is
a mean total of more than 1,100 near-Earth asteroids bigger than
1 kilometer
(0.6 miles) in diameter. Recent estimates had ranged from 750 to
900. Those
prior estimates used a small number of asteroid detections and
assumed that
the NEAs have lower inclinations than suggested by Lincoln
Near-Earth
Asteroid Research (LINEAR) Project data.
This new number is consistent with earlier estimates of the
population
made by the late astrogeologist Eugene Shoemaker, who based his
analysis on the number of asteroid impact craters on the moon.
NEAs are objects within our solar system whose orbits may bring
them
close to the Earth. While no currently known NEAs are now on a
collision
course with the Earth, many NEAs remain undetected.
The amount of damage that would be caused by an asteroid depends
on
its size. Asteroids bigger than 1 kilometer are thought to be
capable of
causing extensive damage on a global scale.
Astronomers find and catalog asteroids by imaging large swaths of
sky with telescopes and searching for objects that move against
the
background of fixed stars. By tracking an asteroid's location
over
several months, astronomers can calculate the orbit that the
asteroid
follows and determine whether it could pose a hazard to the
Earth.
LINEAR has been scanning the skies to discover and catalog NEAs
and to
provide advance warning if any are bound for Earth. Since March
1998,
LINEAR has found 70 percent of all near-Earth asteroids
discovered
worldwide. It is a major contributor toward NASA's goal of
cataloging
90 percent of NEAs larger than 1 kilometer within the next 10
years.
No one yet knows exactly how many NEAs are out there. However, it
is
possible to make estimates of the number remaining to be
discovered
based on the number already found and the amount of searching
that has
been done to discover them.
LINEAR has detected more than 400 different near-Earth asteroids.
This
ten-fold increase in detections has allowed researchers to
investigate
more accurately the inclination distribution of NEAs.
Stuart is a participant in the MIT Lincoln Laboratory Scholars
program,
an employee education program, working with Richard Binzel,
professor
of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT, and a member
of
the LINEAR project team. Principal investigator of the LINEAR
project
at Lincoln Laboratory is Grant Stokes, assistant division head.
The LINEAR project, conducted by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, is
jointly
sponsored by NASA and the United States Air Force under contract
number
F19628-00-C-0002.
"Opinions, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations
are those
of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the United
States Air
Force."
================
(2) ESTIMATES OF KILLER ASTEROIDS ZOOMS
From Alburquerque Journale, 24 October 2000
http://www.abqjournal.com/scitech/157101scitech10-24-00.htm
By John Fleck
More potential Earth-killing (sic) asteroids orbit our sun than
recent
estimates have suggested, according to new data collected with
New
Mexico telescopes.
About 1,100 large Earth-crossing asteroids are likely to be
zinging
through the solar system, according to an analysis by
Massachusetts
Institute of Technology researcher Scott Stuart.
The risk of one colliding with Earth is still tiny, said Grant
Stokes, head of the New Mexico asteroid-hunting project. But a
larger number
increases the odds of a catastrophic crash.
FULL STORY at:
http://www.abqjournal.com/scitech/157101scitech10-24-00.htm
==================
(3) RASH OF RED ASTEROIDS PUZZLES RESEARCHERS
From Space.com, 25 October 2000
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solarsystem/red_asteroids_001025.html
By Robert Roy Britt
While some things turn blue when they get really cold, a newly
discovered group of frigid solar system objects is decidedly red.
The inexplicably red comet-like objects orbit the Sun in the cold
outer
reaches of the solar system in a region known as the Kuiper Belt.
Compared to their gray kin, the red objects have an exclusive
hold on the
most far-out orbits.
Seeing red for 50 years
Comets and asteroids take on different colors depending on how
much blue
sunlight they absorb or reflect, which in turn is tied to their
composition. Since the 1950s, astronomers have known that very
red asteroids
don't mingle with the not-so-red variety in the main Asteroid
Belt, between
Mars and Jupiter. The red ones dominate the inner regions of this
belt.
FULL STORY at:
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solarsystem/red_asteroids_001025.html
=================
(4) LUNAR LEONIDS & LUNAR IMPACTS
From NASA Science News News <snglist@lyris.msfc.nasa.gov>
NASA Science News for October 26, 2000
Next month the Moon will plow through a stream of debris from
comet
Tempel-Tuttle, the parent of the Leonid meteor shower.
Meteoroids that
strike the Moon don't cause shooting stars as they do on our
planet.
Instead, they hit the lunar terrain at high speed.
Scientists will be
watching for signs of impacts as the Moon heads for a close
encounter
with the Leonids.
FULL STORY at
http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast26oct_1.htm?list20392
=====================
(5) NEW "PLUTINO" DISCOVERED BETWEEN NEPTUNE AND PLUTO
From Andrew Yee <ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca>
Yale University
CONTACT:
Jacqueline Weaver 203-432-8555 #109
For Immediate Release: October 25, 2000
Yale Astronomers Find New Minor Planet Between Neptune And Pluto
New Haven, Conn. -- A new minor planet measuring about 400 miles
in
diameter and located between Neptune and Pluto in the outer rim
of the
solar system has been found by Yale astronomers.
Officially named 2000 EB173, the planet was discovered using a
powerful
telescope located at the CIDA observatory in Merida, Venezuela.
In
addition to Yale astronomers, the team included scientists from
Indiana
University and Venezuela's University of the Andes.
Because of its small size, one quarter the size of Pluto, the
planet is
known as a "planetoid" or "plutino," meaning
"Little Pluto."
"The significance of this finding? It's just 'Wow!' After
all these
years we can still find something new in our solar system,"
said Professor
Charles Baltay, chairman of the Department of Physics at Yale
University and
leader of the group that made the discovery. "Some of it is
luck. We looked
in the right place. The other is the precision of our
instrumentation."
Baltay said the telescope used in making the observation
encompasses 250
square degrees of sky in one night, compared to one tenth of one
square
degree with a more conventional telescope. The more powerful
telescope
is equipped with a digital camera and photographs any changes in
the
sky.
"Most of the stars in the sky don't change night to night,
or even
century to century," Baltay said. "However, planets in
our solar system move
very rapidly."
He said the members of the Quasar Equatorial Survey Team (QUEST)
were
looking for quasars, supernovae and other variable objects when
they
found the plutino. It was detected through a computer-aided
search of
thousands of images recorded in a single six-hour period on the
night of
March 15. The tiny, reddish planet was scarcely moving -- just 10
arc
seconds per night -- but was still fast enough to be recorded on
the digital
film.
Although many other objects have been recorded in the area known
as the
"Kuiper Belt" just outside Pluto's orbit, none were as
large as the new
planetoid.
Baltay said it is customary that whoever finds a new object in
the solar
system is allowed to name it, but only after it has circled the
sun
twice. Unfortunately for Baltay, it will take 243 years for
plutino to
circle the sun just once.
Other Yale researchers involved in the discovery were David
Rabinowitz,
associate research scientists in the Department of Physics,
Bradley
Schaefer, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, now at
the
University of Texas at Austin, and Ignacio Ferrin of the
University of
the Andes.
====================
(6) ON THE ATMOSPHERIC FRAGMENTATION OF SMALL ASTEROIDS
From Luigi Foschini <foschini@tesre.bo.cnr.it>
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I am pleased to inform you that my manuscript "On the
atmospheric
fragmentation of small asteroids" has been accepted for the
publication
on Astronomy and Astrophysics Main Journal.
If you are interested, you can freely download a preprint
(Postscript
file) at the web page:
http://tonno.tesre.bo.cnr.it/~foschini/full_list.html
If you have any problem, please do not hesitate to contact me.
I would like to underline, that this paper is part of a
discussion
between V. Bronshten and me about the fragmentation of small
asteroids and
the Tunguska event.
This scientific discussion has take place on the pages of
Astronomy and
Astrophysics. Previous "episodes" are:
L. Foschini, A&A 342 (1999) L1.
V. Bronshten, A&A 359 (2000) 777.
I will send a preprint to Bronsthen (because he has not email)
and I
truly hope that he will soon reply.
Greetings,
Luigi
Dr. Luigi Foschini
Istituto TeSRE - CNR
Via Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna (Italy)
Tel. +39 051.6398706 - Fax +39 051.6398724
Email: foschini@tesre.bo.cnr.it
luifosc@tin.it (home)
Home page: http://tonno.tesre.bo.cnr.it/~foschini/
============================
* LETTERS TO THE MODERATOR *
============================
(7) UPPER EOCENE IMPACTS NOT RELATED TO LATE EOCENE MASS
EXTINCTION?
From James Whitehead <jwhitehe@unb.ca>
Benny
Re: the article posted by Duncan Steel from the NY Times
titled "Climate Change Led to Mass Extinction 34 Million
Years Ago"
As noted by Duncan, there was indeed no mention of the Chesapeake
impact
that occurred during the upper Eocene. However, I find the
persistent
lack of reference to the larger, but contemporaneous, impact
structure in
Siberia when discussing upper Eocene events even more amiss.
The Popigai impact structure, located on the northern margin of
the
Archean Anabar shield, is some 100 km in diameter, and is also
responsible
for widely distributed ejecta spherules. The close occurrence of
these two
large impacts in time (35.5 for Chesapeake and 35.7 Ma for
Popigai) might
suggest that their climatic effects were compounded. However,
isolating
these effects from the effects of steadily declining marine
temperatures
that occurred throughout the upper Eocene has not been possible,
so far. In
addition, the impacts occurred several millions of years before
the end of
the Eocene (they are not true end-Eocene impact events) and they
do not
coincide with any particular rise in the general extinction rate
in the
marine stratigraphic record. The nature of the target rocks in
these two
areas, primarily crystalline basement with some cover deposits
that were
also devoid of significant evaporite minerals no doubt would have
lessened
their capability to cause a long term atmospheric perturbation
and a true
mass extinction event.
Despite the temporal proximity of these two impact events, their
ejecta
can be distinguished in the marine stratigraphic record. It has
been assumed
for some time that one of ejecta layers had a provenance from
Chesapeake,
while the other was from Popigai. Confirming this, we have
presented new
data in the September 30th issue of Earth and Planetary Science
Letters that
presents Sr and Nd isotopic data for the ejecta spherules. This
data
provides a definitive link to their source impact structures and
for the
first time demonstrates the widespread extent to the Popigai
ejecta.
This article can be found at:
http://journals.library.utoronto.ca:9501/elsevier/0012821x/v0181i04/00002259.html
Many thanks,
James Whitehead
-----
Dr. James Whitehead
Impact Geology Group
Planetary and Space Science Centre
Department of Geology
University of New Brunswick
2 Bailey Drive,
Fredericton
New Brunswick
E3B 5A3
Canada
Tel: 506-453-4593/4804
Fax: 506-453-5055
Email: jwhitehe@unb.ca
==================
(8) LATE EOCENE EXTINCTION
From Steve Drury <s.a.drury@open.ac.uk>
Duncan Steel's comment on the recent work using fishes' ear bones
at the
Eocene-Oligocene boundary does miss the point. Although there is
other
evidence (marine-core Ca/Mg ratios and oxygen isotopes) for the
onset of
glaciation in East and West Antarctica at about this time - the
beginning of
the Tertiary global cooling to the Pliocene-Pleistocene
galcial/interglacial
cycling, it is not cooling that the authors demonstrate. The
annual
resolution in otolith oxygen isotopes indicates an increase in
seasonality
at the palaeolatitude of the present Gulf of Mexico, but not any
intense
cooling. Summer sea-surface temperatures are indistinguishable
from those in
the late-Eocene, but those in winters were several degrees
Celsius cooler.
The extinction is among marine
invertebrates, not all marine or terrestrial life. Since
invertebrates
are extremely diverse, this looks like a big event.
Steve Drury
Open University, UK
================
(9) FRAGMENTED ASTEROIDS AND OCEAN IMPACTS
From Michael Paine
Dear Jens,
You have made an interesting observation about the fragmentation
of
large asteroids before impact. IF there was very little warning
and IF
an object could be broken into smaller pieces and IF the pieces
could
be made to only hit the deep ocean then the consequences may not
be as
severe as those a single large object. However, it seems to me
that too
little is known about the wide ranging consequences of impacts
(including tsunami) to be able to make such an important decision
as
whether to "nuke" an incoming asteroid.
Hopefully this issues will be addressed by Recommendation 9 of
the UK
NEP Task Force Report!?
regards
Michael Paine
================
(10) INTENATIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE ASTEROID DEFLECTION DILEMMA
From Jens Kieffer-Olsen <dstdba@post4.tele.dk>
The issue of partial deflection truly opens up for a can of
worms!
It has been suggested that nobody would be able to pinpoint the
exact target zone for an impactor still many months away.
But is
this a fact? Even if ground-based observations were too
inaccurate,
wouldn't it be feasible to launch a small interplanetary probe
simply
to determine the precise orbital characteristics of the incoming
object?
If the object was thus determined to target the Antarctica every
nation
on Earth would agree to let it take its own course, rather than
risk
the fragmented pieces from a nuclear deflection attempt to land
here and
there and everywhere.
Were it heading for North America, however, it's a fair guess to
assume
that an attempt WOULD be made by the US to fragment it before
impact.
Likewise for an ocean impact deemed a threat to the East Coast.
Problem is, what if it were heading for Africa, China, or
Australia?
Why should the US tax payer defray the cost of a deflection,
which could
turn upon himself and destroy an American city otherwise safe
from impact?
If, for example, China had the capacity to attempt a nuclear
deflection
too, the problem would grow even more complex. And, as I recall
it, the
asteroid deflection scenario was indeed used in defence of
nuclear testing
by the Chinese government about a half decade ago.
Negotiations between the involved powers and an equitable
agreement
seem necessary, if the world is to engage in risky deflection
attempts over
the next century or so. After then, we can hope for more reliable
techniques
to eliminate such
quandaries.
Yours sincerely
Jens Kieffer-Olsen, M.Sc.(Elec.Eng.)
Slagelse, Denmark
==================
(11) FIRST UK CENTE FOR ASTROBIOLOGY
From Chandra Wickramasinghe <xdw20@dial.pipex.com>
Dear Benny:
Would you kindly inform your list of the setting up of the first
UK
Centre for Astrobiology in Cardiff. The document setting
out the goals and
structure of the Centre is attached.
Sincerely
Chandra
------------
THE CARDIFF CENTRE FOR ASTROBIOLOGY
CANOLFAN ASTROBIOLEG CAERDYDD
Professor N. Chandra Wickramasinghe, Cardiff University
and
Professor Anthony K. Campbell, University of Wales College of
Medicine,
ACTION PLAN
OBJECTIVES
The primary objective is to establish a Centre in Cardiff for the
new
interdisciplinary science of astrobiology. Our initial research
programme will deal broadly with
1. Evidence for the existence of biomolecules and cells in the
upper
atmosphere as well as in comets and interstellar dust,
2. Evidence for the existence of life molecules and processes in
material recovered from space,
3. The effect of space conditions on living systems
These studies will feed into investigations on the emergence and
development of life in the context of evolving atmospheres on
planetary
bodies (1-4, 14). This work will also provide information
essential for the
emergent discipline of space medicine.
The unique combination of astronomy and molecular cell biology
from the
two principal investigators will provide Cardiff with a Centre of
world
excellence, and attract outside research funding as well as
leading
scientists. It will give us the facility to contribute to space
missions probing for life on solar system bodies.
SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME
Sir Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe were amongst the first
scientists in recent times to forge a connection between
astronomy and
biology (Refs. 3, 14). Techniques pioneered by Professor
Campbell, using
bioluminescence as a marker of biological processes (refs 5-12),
have
exciting potential for investigating two key aspects of
Astrobiology. These
include the existence of life molecules and processes in the
upper
atmosphere and space, including cosmic dust, meteorites
(including those
known as SNC's, which have originated on Mars), and the effect of
space
conditions on living systems.
The techniques will first be applied to high altitude samples and
will
then be developed for potential use on spaceprobes, as pioneered
by the Open
University's Mars Express programme.
The scientific programme will focus on five central issues:
1. The identification of biological molecules and processes in
the
stratosphere and middle atmosphere and its clouds.
2. Evidence of biochemicals and/or intact cells in comets,
cometary
fragments and in interstellar dust particles from remote sensing
data
(IR to UV spectroscopy, radio astronomy and mass spectroscopy)?
3. The transfer of life-bearing material in space, between solar
system
bodies, and viability under extreme conditions of flash heating,
impact
pressures and irradiation.
4. The direct detection of life molecules and processes via
spaceprobe
instruments, and in samples from planets and other
extraterrestrial
material obtained from space missions.
5. The effect of space conditions on living systems - terrestrial
pro-
and eu-karyotic cells including microorganisms, particularly
extremophiles,
transgenic plants, and human cells in culture.
1. Biological molecules and processes in the upper atmosphere
(a) Life at the top - the stratosphere
The major source of life processes in the stratosphere is likely
to be
bombardment of particles from space. Uplifting of material
from the
Earth's surface also occurs. One hitherto unknown bacterial
strain which is
significantly different from terrestrial strains has already been
isolated from filter samples taken by balloon at 15-30 km, by the
Indian
group based at the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO), Bangalore,
India (Ref.15). Further work by this group which is under way
will included
Campbell and Wickramasinghe as participating scientists, and the
stratospheric samples are to be shared equally between Cardiff
and ISRO.
(b) Life in the clouds - the troposphere
The major source of life processes in the troposphere is the
uplifting
of material from the Earth's surface. But there is also some
exchange with
the stratosphere. Material in the troposphere will reach the
earth through
rain droplets, and could explain the pandemics of flu and plague
identified
by Hoyle and one of the present authors (refs. 1,2). Recent
evidence of
microbial processes in cloud ice particles suggests that
amplification could
be occurring in the clouds.
Studies of atmospheric biomaterial would also have major
implications
for safety in genetic manipulation. Unconfirmed reports,
following a fire
some 30 years ago at a molecular biology laboratory in the USA,
reported DNA
and bacteriophages isolated from air samples several km up. Thus
it is vital
to discover whether the current practice of incineration of
genetically
manipulated material prevents biological material reaching the
upper
atmosphere. The search for toxic organic substances in the
stratosphere
would have important medical implications and lucrative funding
possibilities.
The technology to be used in these investigations will involve
PCR, and
ultra sensitive analysis using chemi- and bio- luminescent
analysis.
2. Biomaterial in cosmic dust
Hoyle and Wickramasinghe (see Ref.14) commenced pioneering work
on the
identification of complex organic polymers in cosmic dust over
two
decades ago. Earlier arguments for identifying biochemicals
and/or bacteria
in interstellar and cometary dust (Refs. 3,4) will be refined and
re-examined using new astronomical data, including data from
ESA's Infrared
Space Observatory, and also measurements from the NASA Stardust
Mission.
Proposals will be discussed with Indian astronomers for
high-resolution
infrared spectroscopy of galactic infrared sources deploying
IUCAA's new
2-metre telescope.
Spectra of biological pigments and their degradation products
under
space simulated conditions will be obtained in the laboratory and
compared
with unidentified astronomical spectral features.
4. Transfer of life-bearing material in space between solar
system
bodies
An original form of the panspermia hypothesis including physical
transfer has been validated in principle. Such a process would
seem to have
been established by the identification of organic structures
within Martian
meteorites, including a sample (Chassigny) that was only lightly
shocked. Interplanetary transfer of spores or microrganisms are
thus
presumed to take place, but the survival probabilities associated
with any
particular transfer situation are yet unknown. Work under this
heading
divides into two investigations:
(a) retention of viability under space conditions, and
(b) retention of viability at planetary ejection and landing
events.
Experiments firing specimens from a gas gun have been conducted
at the
University of Canterbury and could profitably be extended for use
with
our new life-detection techniques.
4. Life processes in material from space
This will involve chemical and biochemical analysis of cosmic
dust,
samples brought home from spacecraft, and meteorites. However, a
considerable problem is contamination from the Earth before
analysis. Thus a
major thrust of this part of the programme will be to collaborate
with NASA
and ESA programmes to develop robotic bioluminescent assays for
in situ
analysis on the Martian surface or on the surfaces of comets. The
proposed
transportation of firefly luciferase to analyse ATP on the
Martian surface
in the first Viking expedition was never carried out. This will
be a prime
objective. Chirality is an essential property of life (ref.5).
Chiral
molecules have yet to be searched for adequately. We intend
developing a
novel bioluminescent technology for analysing mirror image
molecules in
space samples. This will have exciting applications in the study
of human
microbiology.
5. The effect of space conditions on living systems
Bioluminescent reporters of chemical reactions in living cells
offer
unique potential for investigating the effects of weightlessness
on
biological processes. Bioluminescence analysis is extremely
sensitive, being
able to detect several molecular processes in defined parts of
living cells,
including free Ca2+ , ATP, proteases, phosphorylation, and cell
end
responses with relatively simple instrumentation (refs 6-10).
Fluorescent probes need sophisticated lasers, which are
cumbersome and
expensive for spacecraft. An essential question, never studied to
date is
the effect of weightlessness on cell signalling. Cardiff is in a
unique
position to investigate this. The recent development of the
Rainbow protein
technology (12), and targeting to organelles (7), in Professor
Campbell's
laboratory places us in a unique position in the world to address
this. Thus
the programme will engineer cells so that they are luminous, can
be sent
into space, or to the space station, where robotics will enable
luminous
signals from sites within living cells to be transmitted to
Earth.
We also intend setting up a zero gravity facility in Cardiff for
pilot
studies of the effects of gravity on cell signalling in bacteria,
animal
and plant cells. All these cells have been successfully
genetically
engineered, and the bioluminescent indicators imaged under normal
gravity.
Shuttle experiments might also be feasible in this context and
could be
considered as an alternative.
Experiments investigating the effects of space conditions,
including
space stations orbiting the Earth, are essential for Space
Medicine. These
are also vital if we are to develop realistic and successful
programmes
where men and women work and travel in space. Cell signalling is
the key
process in life determining when and how a cell, organ or
organism reacts to
external or internal stimuli, and pathogens. Professor Campbell
has
established, at the University of Wales College of Medicine, an
internationally recognised facility for live cell imaging,
including
multi-photon confocal microscopy and single photon counting
imaging,
with unique potential for exploiting the genetically engineered
Rainbow
proteins, and other bioluminescent and fluorescent molecules, to
study
chemical events in live cells. This would be the first time such
studies
have ever been possible in space. The sensitivity of Professor
Campbell's
technology will also provide unique assay systems for detecting
and
quantifying biological molecules, such ATP, DNA, and chiral
molecules, in
space samples.
A key issue in these studies is preventing contamination of
samples from
space with terrestrial material. We therefore seek support to set
up and
equip a high containment laboratory at the University of Wales
College
of Medicine to investigate samples that are shortly to be
received from
ISRO, India. This laboratory, under the direction of
Professor Campbell,
will be affiliated to the proposed Centre for Astrobiology at
Cardiff
University. The combination of this facility with the technology
and
collaborations already established would provide Cardiff with one
of the
best, if not unique, facilities for Astrobiology in the world.
This work will be published in peer-reviewed journals. But we
also
intend presenting our programme and results to the public through
the Darwin
initiative. Some £100,000 has been raised during the past year
to
support the Pembrokeshire Darwin Science Festival.
COLLABORATIONS AND LINKS
(1) Links with the Schools of Earth Sciences and Biology at
Cardiff
University
(2) A major collaboration has already been established with the
group in
India led by Professor J.V. Narlikar.
(3) Links with the School of Mathematics and the School of Earth
Sciences at
the Australian National University are currently under discussion
for the
specific purpose of conducting isotope studies of nanogramme
stratospheric
samples.
(4) We have had longstanding links with ESA through participation
in the
Giotto mission to comet Halley, and these are continuing through
the
participation of Professor Wickramasinghe and Dr. Wallis in the
Radio
Science Investigation Team of ESA's Rosetta Mission to Comet
P/Wirtanen.
(5) In the United Kingdom links to the University of Canterbury
for
space impact expertise and to the Open University for spaceprobe
biochemical
analysis are envisaged.
(6) Interest has been expressed from NASA over a link to their
newly
formed Astrobiology Unit.
(7) A link has also been established with JRA Aerospace, which is
responsible for developing spin offs from the European space
programme.
The bioluminescent imaging cameras were developed by Photek Ltd,
with
Professor Campbell, partially funded through a Eureka grant from
the
European space programme. This proposed Centre would complete the
circle,
taking technology transfer from the space programme back into
space.
(8) We intend being a major player in the recently established UK
Astrobiology Group (ref. 13).
REFERENCES
1. Hoyle, F. and Wickramasinghe, N.C., 1990. J. Roy Soc Med, 83,
258
2. Hoyle, F. and Wickramasinghe, N.C., 1986. Viruses from Space
(University College Cardiff Press, 1986)
3. Hoyle, F. and Wickramasinghe, N.C., 1990. The Theory of Cosmic
Grains
(Kluwer Academic Press)
4. Hoyle, F. and Wickramasinghe, N.C., 1986. Nature, 322, 509
5. Campbell, A.K., 1994. Rubicon: the fifth dimension of biology
(Duckworth, London)
6. Sala Newby, GB, Kendall, JM, Jones, H, Taylor, KM, Badminton,
MN,
Llewellyn, DH and Campbell, AK (1999). Bioluminescent and
chemiluminescent indicators for molecular signalling and function
in living
cells. pp 251-272. In Fluorescent probes for biological function
2nd
edition. Ed Mason, WT. Academic Press, London.
7. Sala-Newby, GB, Badminton, MN, Evans, WH, George, CH, Jones,
HE,
Kendall, JM, Ribeiro, AS and Campbell, AK (2000). Targetted
Bioluminescent
indicators in living cells. Methods in Enzymology. 305,478-498.
8. Sala Newby, GB, Taylor, KT, Badminton, MN, Rembold, CR and
Campbell,
AK (1998). Imaging bioluminescent indicators shows Ca2+ and ATP
permeability thresholds in live cells attacked by complement.
Immunology.
93:4:601-609
9. Campbell, AK, Trewavas, AJ and Knight, MR (1996). Calcium
imaging
shows differential sensitivity to cooling and communication in
luminous
transgenic plants. Cell Calcium 19: 211-218.
10. Dunstan, S, Sala-Newby, GB, Bermudez-Fajardo, A, Taylor, K.M.
and
Campbell, A.K. (2000). Cloning and expression of the
bioluminescent
photoprotein pholasin from the bivalve mollusc Pholas dactylus.
J.Biol.Chem.275, 9403-9409.
11. Sala-Newby, GB, Thomson, CM and Campbell, AK (1996). Biochem.
J.
313: 761-767. Sequence and biochemical similarities between
luciferases of
the glow-worm Lampyris noctiluca and the firefly Photinus
pyralis.
12. Baubet,V, Le Mouellic, H, Campbell, AK, Lucas-Meunier, E,
Fossier, P
and Brulet, P (2000). Chimeric GFP-aequorin as bioluminescent
Ca2+ reporters
at the single cell level. Proc.Natl.Acad.Sci.97:7260-7265.
13. Astrobiology in the UK: Scientific Status and Goals
(British
National Space Centre, 1999).
14. Astronomical Origins of Life (eds F. Hoyle and N.C.
Wickramasinghe)
(Kluwer Academic Press, 2000)
15. Shivaji, S. et al (2000) submitted to Nature
Professor N. Chandra Wickramasinghe, Cardiff University
Wickramasinghe@cardiff.ac.uk
www.uc.ac.uk/uwcc/maths/wickramasinghe/
and
Professor Anthony K. Campbell, University of Wales College of
Medicine
Campbellak@cardiff.ac.uk
www.uwcm.ac.uk/uwcm/mb/campbell.html
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