HKU geologist proposes the number of ancient Martian lakes might have been dramatically underestimated by scientists

Peer-Reviewed Publication

THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

 

IMAGE: AN EXAMPLE OF A LARGE, IMPACT CRATER-HOSTED LAKE ON MARS (A) AND A SMALL, PERMAFROST-HOSTED LAKE ON MARS. BOTH IMAGES SHOW ELEVATION DATA FROM THE MOLA (MARS ORBITER LASER ALTIMETER) AND HRSC（HIGH RESOLUTION STEREO CAMERA) INSTRUMENTS DRAPED ONTO IMAGES FROM THEMIS (A) AND CTX (B). view more 

CREDIT: ESA/JPL/NASA/ASU/MSSS

Lakes are bodies of water fed by rainfall, snowmelt, rivers and groundwater, through which, Earth is teeming with life. Lakes also contain critical geologic records of past climates. Though Mars is a frozen desert today, scientists have shown that Mars contains evidence of ancient lakes that existed billions of years ago, which could contain evidence for ancient life and climate conditions on the red planet. Through a meta-analysis of years of satellite data that shows evidence for lakes on Mars, Dr Joseph MICHALSKI, a geologist in the Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong (HKU) proposed that scientists might have dramatically underestimated the number of ancient Martian lakes that once existed.

Michalski and the international team recently published their results in Nature Astronomy, which describe a global analysis of ancient Martian lakes. “We know of approximately 500 ancient lakes deposited on Mars, but nearly all the lakes we know about are larger than 100 km2,” explains Michalski. “But on Earth, 70% of the lakes are smaller than this size, occurring in cold environments where glaciers have retreated. These small-sized lakes are difficult to identify on Mars by satellite remote sensing, but many small lakes probably did exist. It is likely that at least 70% of Martian lakes have yet to be discovered.” Scientists monitor these small lakes on Earth in order to understand climate change. The missing small lakes on Mars might also contain critical information about past climates.

The recent paper also reports that most known Martian lakes date to a period 3,500 to 4,000 million years ago, but each of the lakes might have lasted only a geologically short time (10,000 to 100,000 years) during this time span. This means that ancient Mars was probably mostly cold and dry as well, but it warmed episodically for short periods of time. Michalski adds, “Because of the lower gravity on Mars and the pervasive, fine-grained soil, lakes on Mars would have been very murky and might not have allowed light to penetrate very deeply, which could present a challenge to photosynthetic life, if it existed.”

Lakes contain water, nutrients and energy sources for possible microbial life, including light for photosynthesis. Therefore, lakes are the top targets for astrobiological exploration by Mars Rovers such as NASA’s Perseverance rover now on Mars. But Michalski warns, “Not all lakes are created equal. In other words, some Martian lakes would be more interesting for microbial life than others because some of the lakes were large, deep, long-lived and had a wide range of environments such as hydrothermal systems that could have been conducive to the formation of simple life.” From this point of view, it might make sense to target large, ancient, environmentally diverse lakes for future exploration.

“Earth is host to many environments that can serve as analogs to other planets. From the harsh terrain of Svalbard to the depths of Mono Lake - we can determine how to design tools for detecting life elsewhere right here at home. Most of those tools are aimed at detecting the remains and residues of microbial life,” said Dr David BAKER, an ecologist at HKU School of Biological Sciences who is well-informed about the Earth’s microbial systems in lakes.

China successfully landed its first lander, Zhurong, on Mars in May this year. Zhurong is currently roving the plains of Utopia Planitia, exploring mineralogical and chemical clues to recent climate change. China is also planning a sample return mission likely to occur at the end of this decade, which could target one of the interesting lake deposits.

Pingualuit crater lake in Canada is a modern-day example of a cold impact crater-hosted lake on Earth analogous to ancient crater lakes on Mars.

CREDIT

Google Earth

Dr Joseph Michalski is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences and Deputy Director of the Laboratory for Space Research at HKU. He worked with colleagues from Canada, USA, and the UK on the research, which is funded by the Research Grants Council in Hong Kong.

Learn more about his research: https://www.clays.space

The journal paper can be accessed at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-022-01743-7

Image download and caption: https://www.scifac.hku.hk/press

For media enquiries, please contact Ms Casey To, External Relations Officer (tel: 3917 4948; email: caseyto@hku.hk / Ms Cindy Chan, Assistant Director of Communications of HKU, Faculty of Science (tel: 3917 5286; email: cindycst@hku.hk).

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JOURNAL

Nature Astronomy

DOI

10.1038/s41550-022-01743-7 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Geological diversity and microbiological potential of lakes on Mars

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

15-Sep-2022

New exoplanet detection program for citizen scientists

The SETI Institute and its partner Unistellar are launching a new exoplanet detection program that will engage citizen scientists worldwide.

Business Announcement

SETI INSTITUTE

 

IMAGE: ARTIST’S CONCEPTION OF THE MULTIPLE PLANET SYSTEM. view more 

CREDIT: GEMINI OBSERVATORY. ARTWORK BY LYNETTE COOK

September 19, 2022, Mountain View, CA – The SETI Institute and its partner Unistellar are launching a new exoplanet detection program that will engage citizen scientists worldwide. Amateur astronomers, using either Unistellar’s eVscope or another telescope, will be invited to help confirm exoplanet candidates identified by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) by observing possible exoplanet transits from Earth.

Most known exoplanets have been detected using the transit method, most notably by the Kepler Mission and now TESS. A transit is when a planet passes between its star and the observer, who will see the star dimming as the planet orbits. The demand for follow-up observations of transiting exoplanets is greater than ever. There are currently more than 5,100 confirmed exoplanets, with thousands more detections to be confirmed. This program will focus its efforts on exo-Jupiters detected by those NASA missions.

Some estimates suggest that TESS will identify more than 10,000 exoplanet candidates. Follow-up observations are essential for unconfirmed exoplanets to determine if candidates are false positives, such as those caused by eclipsing binaries or transits of low-mass stars. Regular re-observations by ground-based systems are necessary for confirmed planets to keep their orbital ephemerides updated. The potential for citizen scientist contribution to exoplanet science is high and has exciting implications for STEM education.

The opportunities for non-professional astronomers to observe and contribute their collected data for exoplanet research or education have been largely out of reach. High costs and high levels of technical expertise required to run, build, or operate observing equipment are barriers. The Unistellar Exoplanet Campaign provides professional mentoring and curated targets. It can make meaningful contributions to exoplanet research (e.g., photometric data for monitoring transit times and confirming traditional and long-period exoplanets) while engaging non-professionals and students in this exciting work.

One of the most recent achievements of the new network is the detection of the TESS planet candidate named TOI 1812.01. TOI 1812 is a curious, multi-planet system that was first discovered by TESS. It is 563 lightyears from Earth and consists of three gaseous planets: a 3-Earth radii sub-Neptune planet on an 11-day orbit, a 5-Earth radii sub-Saturn planet on a 43-day orbit, and an outer 9-Earth radii Saturn-sized planet (TOI 1812.01) on what was previously an unconstrained orbit. Having three gaseous planets spanning such a wide range in radius makes TOI 1812 an ideal system for understanding how giant planets form and migrate. Furthermore, owing to the cool temperature of the K2V host star, TOI 1812.01 receives insolation less than twice that of the Earth and may even be an exciting target for future exomoon searches.

However, the missing piece of the puzzle that precludes further characterization was the unknown orbital period of TOI 1812.01. TESS observed two 8-hour long transits of this planet separated by a substantial data gap, which left a set of aliases as the possible orbital period. Sparse radial velocity data and statistical analysis highlighted the three most likely orbital periods: 71 days, 87 days, or 112 days. These three possibilities corresponded to 3 possible transit windows in July and August 2022. The network observed each window, which required transcontinental campaigns in each case. Over the three windows, we had 27 data sets contributed by 20 astronomers in 7 countries. The network successfully ruled out transits during the first two windows. It discovered the transit egress (ending) during the third window on August 27, 2022, confirming the orbital period of 112 days. This effort showcases the unique ability of the citizen science network to contribute to the recovery of orbital ephemerides of extremely valuable long-period and long-transit-duration exoplanets like TOI 1812.01. This work, including the Unistellar observations, is being prepared for a manuscript to officially confirm the nature of the exoplanet system and will be presented at the IAC in Paris on Tuesday September 20.

“Observing exoplanets like TOI 1812.01 as they cross in front of, or transit, their host stars is a crucial component of confirming their nature as genuine planets and ensuring our ability to study those planetary systems in the future,” said Paul Dalba, SETI Institute research scientist and 51 Pegasi b Fellow of the Heising-Simons Foundation. “The specific properties of this planet, namely its long orbit and long transit duration, put it in a category where citizen science coordinated on a global level like the Unistellar Network can be extremely effective.”
"This early success shows the power of putting science directly into peoples' hands; a core principle of this SETI Institute, Unistellar, and NASA partnership,” added Tom Esposito, SETI Institute research assistant and Space Science Principal at Unistellar. “Citizen astronomers worldwide uniting to teach humanity about new planets discovered so many trillions of miles away is, simply put, amazing."

Exoplanet observation targets will be regularly announced here.

Additional members of SETI Institute involved in this research are Senior Astronomer Franck Marchis, Education Specialist Daniel Peluso, and Citizen Science Researcher Lauren Sgro.

This research was supported with a generous donation by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The scientific data were obtained using the Unistellar Network, which is managed jointly by Unistellar and the SETI Institute.

About the SETI Institute
Founded in 1984, the SETI Institute is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary research and education organization whose mission is to lead humanity's quest to understand the origins and prevalence of life and intelligence in the Universe and share that knowledge with the world. Our research encompasses the physical and biological sciences and leverages data analytics, machine learning, and advanced signal detection technologies. The SETI Institute is a distinguished research partner for industry, academia, and government agencies, including NASA and the National Science Foundation.

Astro­physics: Star-child­hood shapes stel­lar evo­lu­tion

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF INNSBRUCK

 

IMAGE: : THE YOUNG STAR IN THE CENTRE IS IN A MOLECULAR CLOUD AND IS ENVELOPED BY A DISK. IN THE FIRST STAGES OF ITS LIFE, THE STAR ATTRACTS NUMEROUS MATERIALS, FOR EXAMPLE, THROUGH MAGNETIC FIELDS, WHICH ARE CONSTANTLY REMIXED IN THE TURBULENCE. THE INTERIOR OF THE YOUNG STAR IS PERMEATED BY PULSATIONS. CREATED BY MIRJANA KESER. view more 

CREDIT: MIRJANA KESER

From babies to teenagers: stars in their "young years" are a major challenge for science. The process of star formation is particularly complex and difficult to map in theoretical models. One of the few ways to learn more about the formation, structure or age of stars is to observe their oscillations. "Comparable to the exploration of the Earth's interior with the help of seismology, we can also make statements about their internal structure and thus also about the age of stars based on their oscillations" says Konstanze Zwintz. The astronomer is regarded as a pioneer in the young field of asteroseismology and heads the research group "Stellar Evolution and Asteroseismology" at the Institute for Astro- and Particle Physics at the University of Innsbruck. The study of stellar oscillations has evolved significantly in recent years because the possibilities for precise observation through telescopes in space such as TESS, Kepler, and James Webb have improved on many levels. These advances are now also shedding new light on decades-old theories of stellar evolution.

With a new model to zero hour of adult stars
 
Stars are called "children" as long as they are not yet burning hydrogen to helium in their cores. At this stage, they are on the pre-main sequence; after ignition, they become adults and move onto the main sequence. "Research on stars has so far focused mainly on adult stars - such as our Sun" says Thomas Steindl, a member of Konstanze Zwintz's research group and lead author of the study. "Even if it sounds counterintuitive at first glance, so far little attention has been paid to the evolution of the pre-main sequence because the phase is very turbulent and difficult to model. It's only the technological advances of recent years that allow us a closer look at the infancy of stars - and thus at that moment when the star begins to fuse hydrogen into helium." In their current study, the two Innsbruck researchers now present a model that can be used to realistically depict the earliest phases of a star’s life long before they become adults. The model is based on the open-source stellar evolution program MESA (Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics). Inspired by a talk given by astronomer Eduard Vorobyov of the University of Vienna at a 2019 meeting, Thomas Steindl spent months refining the method for using this stellar evolution code to recreate the chaotic phase of early star formation and then predict their specific oscillations. "Our data show that stars on the pre-main sequence take a very chaotic course in their evolution. Despite its complexity, we can now use it in our new theoretical model." Steindl said. Thus, the astronomer shows that the way the star is formed has an impact on the oscillation behaviour even after ignition of nuclear fusion on the main sequence: "The infancy has an influence on the later pulsations of the star: This sounds very simple, but it was strongly in doubt. The classical theory assumes that the time before ignition is simply irrelevant. This is not true: Comparable to a musical instrument, even subtle differences in the composition lead to significant changes in the tone. Thus, our modern models better describe the oscillations in real stars."
Konstanze Zwintz is delighted with this discovery and is very optimistic about the future: "I was already convinced about 20 years ago, when I first saw the oscillation of a young star in front of me on the screen, that I would one day be able to prove the significance of early stellar evolution on the 'adult' star. Thanks to the great work of Thomas Steindl, we have now succeeded: Definitely a eureka moment for our research group and another milestone for a better understanding of the growth steps of stars."

The blue line shows the evolution of a star before the transition to the main sequence (blue dot) according to the classical models applied since the 1950s. The white line represents the realistic representation resulting from Thomas Steindl's new model - the star's "wild" years from infancy to teenage years, with the evolution running from right to left in the image.

CREDIT

Thomas Steindl

Publication:
The imprint of star formation on stellar pulsations. Thomas Steindl, Konstanze Zwintz, Eduard Vorobyov. Nature Communications 2022
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32882-0
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-32882-0

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JOURNAL

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-022-32882-0 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

ARTICLE TITLE

The imprint of star formation on stellar pulsations

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

19-Sep-2022

SwRI scientist helps identify new evidence for habitability in Enceladus’s ocean

Saturn moon’s subsurface ocean is likely rich in phosphorus, a key component for life

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

 

IMAGE: SWRI LEAD SCIENTIST DR. CHRISTOPHER GLEIN CONTRIBUTED TO NEW FINDINGS THAT PHOSPHORUS IN THE FORM OF ORTHOPHOSPHATE (E.G., HPO4-2) IS LIKELY ABUNDANT IN THE SUBSURFACE OCEAN OF SATURN’S MOON ENCELADUS. A SODA OR ALKALINE OCEAN (CONTAINING NAHCO3 AND/OR NA2CO3) INSIDE OF ENCELADUS INTERACTS GEOCHEMICALLY WITH A ROCKY CORE. MODELING INDICATES THAT THIS INTERACTION PROMOTES THE DISSOLUTION OF PHOSPHATE MINERALS, MAKING ORTHOPHOSPHATE READILY AVAILABLE TO POSSIBLE LIFE IN THE OCEAN. BECAUSE PHOSPHORUS IS AN ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT FOR LIFE, THIS FINDING BOLSTERS MOUNTING EVIDENCE FOR HABITABILITY WITHIN THIS SMALL SATURNIAN MOON. view more 

CREDIT: SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

SAN ANTONIO — Sept. 19, 2022 — The search for extraterrestrial life just got more interesting as a team of scientists including Southwest Research Institute’s Dr. Christopher Glein has discovered new evidence for a key building block for life in the subsurface ocean of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. New modeling indicates that Enceladus’s ocean should be relatively rich in dissolved phosphorus, an essential ingredient for life.

“Enceladus is one of the prime targets in humanity’s search for life in our solar system,” said Glein, a leading expert in extraterrestrial oceanography. He is a co-author of a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) describing this research. “In the years since NASA’s Cassini spacecraft visited the Saturn system, we have been repeatedly blown away by the discoveries made possible by the collected data.”

The Cassini spacecraft discovered Enceladus’s subsurface liquid water and analyzed samples as plumes of ice grains and water vapor erupted into space from cracks in the moon’s icy surface.

“What we have learned is that the plume contains almost all the basic requirements of life as we know it,” Glein said. “While the bioessential element phosphorus has yet to be identified directly, our team discovered evidence for its availability in the ocean beneath the moon’s icy crust.”

One of the most profound discoveries in planetary science over the past 25 years is that worlds with oceans beneath a surface layer of ice are common in our solar system. Such worlds include the icy satellites of the giant planets, such as Europa, Titan and Enceladus, as well as more distant bodies like Pluto. Worlds like Earth with surface oceans must reside within a narrow range of distances from their host stars to maintain the temperatures that support surface liquid water. Interior water ocean worlds, however, can occur over a much wider range of distances, greatly expanding the number of habitable worlds likely to exist across the galaxy.

“The quest for extraterrestrial habitability in the solar system has shifted focus, as we now look for the building blocks for life, including organic molecules, ammonia, sulfur-bearing compounds as well as the chemical energy needed to support life,” Glein said. “Phosphorus presents an interesting case because previous work suggested that it might be scarce in the ocean of Enceladus, which would dim the prospects for life.”

Phosphorus in the form of phosphates is vital for all life on Earth. It is essential for the creation of DNA and RNA, energy-carrying molecules, cell membranes, bones and teeth in people and animals, and even the sea’s microbiome of plankton.

Team members performed thermodynamic and kinetic modeling that simulates the geochemistry of phosphorus based on insights from Cassini about the ocean-seafloor system on Enceladus. In the course of their research, they developed the most detailed geochemical model to date of how seafloor minerals dissolve into Enceladus’s ocean and predicted that phosphate minerals would be unusually soluble there.

“The underlying geochemistry has an elegant simplicity that makes the presence of dissolved phosphorus inevitable, reaching levels close to or even higher than those in modern Earth seawater,” Glein said. “What this means for astrobiology is that we can be more confident than before that the ocean of Enceladus is habitable.”

According to Glein, the next step is clear: “We need to get back to Enceladus to see if a habitable ocean is actually inhabited.”

The paper “Abundant phosphorus expected for possible life in Enceladus’s ocean” appears in PNAS, a peer-reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS).

For more information, see paper at https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2201388119.
 

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JOURNAL

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI

10.1073/pnas.2201388119 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

“Abundant phosphorus expected for possible life in Enceladus’s ocean”

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

19-Sep-2022

New software platform advances understanding of the surface finish of manufactured components

Scientists from University of Freiburg, Germany, and the University of Pittsburgh develop platform that combines measurements of surface topography in a digital twin

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

 

IMAGE: THE CONTACT.ENGINEERING PLATFORM ALLOWS USERS TO UPLOAD, ANALYZE AND SHARE MEASUREMENTS OF SURFACE ROUGHNESS. view more 

CREDIT: RICK HENKEL, LUCAS FRÉROT

Scientists from the University of Freiburg, Germany, and the University of Pittsburgh have developed a software platform that facilitates and standardizes the analysis of surfaces. The contact.engineering platform enables users to create a digital twin of a surface and thus to help predict, for example, how quickly it wears out, how well it conducts heat, or how well it adheres to other materials. The team included Michael Röttger from the Department of Microsystems Engineering, Lars Pastewka and Antoine Sanner from the Department of Microsystems Engineering and the University of Freiburg’s Cluster of Excellence livMatS, and Tevis Jacobs from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering. They presented the software platform in the journal Surface Topography: Metrology and Properties (doi: 10.1088/2051-672X/ac860a).

Topography influences material properties
All engineered materials have surface roughness, even if they appear smooth when seen with the naked eye. Viewed under a microscope, they resemble the surfaces of a mountain landscape. “It is of particular interest, in both industrial applications and scientific research, to have precise knowledge of a surface’s topography, as this influences properties like the adhesion, friction, wettability, and durability of the material,” says Pastewka.

Saving time and cost in manufacturing
Manufacturers must carefully control the surface finish of, for example, automobiles or medical devices to ensure proper performance of the final application. At present, the optimal surface finish is found primarily by a trial-and-error process, where a series of components are made with different machining practices and then their properties are tested to determine which is best. This is a slow and costly process. “It would be far more efficient to use scientific models to design the optimal topography for a given application, but this is not possible at present,” says Jacobs. “It would require scientific advancements in linking topography to properties, and technical advancements in measuring and describing a surface.”

The contact.engineering platform facilitates both of these advances and standardizes the procedure: It automatically integrates the various data from different tools, corrects measurement errors, and uses the data to create a digital twin of the surface. The platform calculates statistical metrics and applies mechanical models to the surfaces, helping to predict behavior. “The users can thus identify which topographical features influence which properties. This allows a systematic optimization of finishing processes,” says Pastewka.

Facilitating open science
The software platform also serves as a database on which users can share their measurements with colleagues or collaborators. Users can also choose to make their surface measurements available to the public. When they publish the data, a digital object identifier (DOI) is generated that can be referenced in scientific publications.

“We are continually developing contact.engineering and would like to add even more analysis tools, for example for the chemical composition of surfaces,” says Pastewka. “The goal is to provide users with a digital twin that is as comprehensive as possible. That’s why we also welcome suggestions for improvements to the software platform from users in industry and research.”

The development of contact.engineering was funded from the European Research Council and the US National Science Foundation, as well as from the University of Freiburg’s Cluster of Excellence Living, Adaptive, and Energy-autonomous Materials Systems (livMatS).

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JOURNAL

Surface Topography Metrology and Properties

DOI

10.1088/2051-672X/ac860a 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Contact.engineering—Create, analyze and publish digital surface twins from topography measurements across many scales

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

14-Sep-2022

Stopping aspirin when on a blood thinner lowers risk of bleeding, study finds

Talk to your doctor about whether taking aspirin can do you more harm than good.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

MICHIGAN MEDICINE - UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

If you’re already taking one blood thinner, mounting research suggests you might not need to take a second one.

In fact, when patients who are on a commonly prescribed blood thinner stop taking aspirin, their risk of bleeding complications drops significantly, a Michigan Medicine study finds.

Researchers analyzed over 6,700 people treated at anticoagulation clinics across Michigan for venous thromboembolism, or blood clots, as well as atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm that can cause stroke. Patients were treated with the common blood thinner warfarin but also took aspirin despite not having history of heart disease.

“We know that aspirin is not a panacea drug as it was once thought to be and can in fact lead to more bleeding events in some of these patients, so we worked with the clinics to reduce aspirin use among patients for whom it might not be necessary,” said Geoffrey Barnes, M.D., senior author of the study and a cardiologist at the University of Michigan Health Frankel Cardiovascular Center.

Over the course of the study intervention, aspirin use among patients decreased by 46.6%. With aspirin used less commonly, the risk of a bleeding complication dropped by 32.3% — amounting to one major bleeding event prevented per every 1,000 patients who stop taking aspirin. Results are published in JAMA Network Open.

“When we started this study, there was already an effort by doctors to reduce aspirin use, and our findings show that accelerating that reduction prevents serious bleeding complications which, in turn, can be lifesaving for patients,” said Barnes, who is also an associate professor of internal medicine at U-M Medical School. “It’s really important for physicians and health systems to be more cognizant about when patients on a blood thinner should and should not be using aspirin.”

This de-escalation of aspirin use is based off several studies that found concerning links between concurrent use of aspirin and different blood thinners.

One study reported that patients taking warfarin and aspirin for atrial fibrillation and VTE experienced more major bleeding events and had more ER visits for bleeding than those taking warfarin alone. Similar results occurred for patients taking aspirin and direct oral anticoagulants – who were found more likely to have a bleeding event but not less likely to have a blood clot.

“While aspirin is an incredibly important medicine, it has a less widely used role than it did a decade ago,” Barnes said. “But with each study, we are seeing that there are far fewer cases in which patients who are already on an anticoagulant are seeing benefit by adding aspirin on top of that treatment. The blood thinner they are taking is already providing some protection from clots forming.”

For some people, aspirin can be lifesaving. Many patients who have a history of ischemic stroke, heart attack or a stent placed in the heart to improve blood flow – as well as those with a history of cardiovascular disease – benefit from the medication.

The challenge comes when some people take aspirin without a history of cardiovascular disease and are also prescribed an anticoagulant, said first author Jordan Schaefer, M.D., a hematologist at U-M Health and clinical associate professor of internal medicine at U-M Medical School.

“Many of these people were likely taking aspirin for primary prevention of heart attack or stroke, which we now know is less effective than once believed, and no one took them off of it when they started warfarin,” Schaefer said. “These findings show how important it is to only take aspirin under the direction of your doctor and not to start taking over-the-counter medicines like aspirin until you review with your care team if the expected benefit outweighs the risk.”

Additional authors include Josh Errickson, Ph.D., Xiaokui Gu, M.D., M.A., Tina Alexandris-Souphis, R.N., Brian Haymart, R.N., M.S., Eva Kline-Rogers, M.S., R.N., N.P., Suman L. Sood, M.D., MSCE, James B. Froehlich, M.D., M.P.H., all of University of Michigan, Mona A. Ali, Pharm.D., Department of Heart and Vascular Services at Beaumont Hospital, Scott Katz, D.O., Division of Hospital Medicine at Henry Ford Hospital, Jay H. Kozlowski, M.D., Huron Valley Sinai Hospital, Gregory D. Krol, M.D.,Vinay Shah, M.D., both of Department of Internal Medicine at Henry Ford Hospital.

Disclosure: During the study, Barnes reported receiving personal fees from Pfizer/Bristol Myers Squibb and Janssen, all of whom manufacture anticoagulants.

Paper Cited: “Assessment of an Intervention to Reduce Aspirin Prescribing for Patients Receiving Warfarin for Anticoagulation,” JAMA Network Open. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.31973

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JOURNAL

JAMA Network Open

DOI

10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.31973 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Assessment of an Intervention to Reduce Aspirin Prescribing for Patients Receiving Warfarin for Anticoagulation

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

19-Sep-2022

COI STATEMENT

Dr Kaatz reported receiving grants from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan during the conduct of the study; personal fees from Norvartis, Janssen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer, CSL Behring, Portola/Alexion, Gilead, and PhaseBio; and grants from the National Institutes of Health, Osmosis, Janssen, and Bristol Myers Squibb outside the submitted work. Ms Kline-Rogers reported receiving personal fees from Anticoagulation Forum outside the submitted work. Dr Barnes reported receiving personal fees from Pfizer/Bristol Myers Squibb, Janssen, Acelis Connected Health, Abbott Vascular, and Boston Scientific; and grant funding from Boston Scientific to institution during the conduct of the study. No other disclosures were reported.

Human Brain Project researchers map four new brain areas involved in many cognitive processes

Peer-Reviewed Publication

HUMAN BRAIN PROJECT

 

IMAGE: PROBABILITY MAPS OF THE FOUR NEWLY IDENTIFIED AREAS SFS1, SFS2, MFG1 AND MFG2. view more 

CREDIT: BRUNO ET AL.: FRONT. NEUROANAT. 2022.

Researchers of the Human Brain Project (HBP) have mapped four new areas of the human anterior prefrontal cortex that plays a major role in cognitive functions. Two of the newly identified areas are relatively larger in females than in males.

The human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is involved in cognitive control including attention selection, working memory, decision making and planning of actions. Changes in this brain region are suspected to play a role in schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression and bipolar disorder, making it an important research target. Researchers from Forschungszentrum Jülich and Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf now provide detailed, three-dimensional maps of four new areas of the brain region.

In order to identify the borders between brain areas, the researchers statistically analysed the distribution of cells (the cytoarchitecture) in 10 post mortem human brains. After reconstructing the mapped areas in 3D, the researchers superimposed the maps of the 10 different brains and generated probability maps that reflect how much the localization and size of each area varies among individuals. 

High inter-subject variability has been a major challenge for prior attempts to map this brain region leading to considerable discrepancies in pre-existing maps and inconclusive information making it very difficult to understand the specific involvement of individual brain areas in the different cognitive functions. The new probabilistic maps account for the variability between individuals and can be directly superimposed with datasets from functional studies in order to directly correlate structure and function of the areas. 

When comparing the brains of female and male tissue donors, the researchers found that the relative volumes of two of the newly identified areas were significantly larger in female than in male brains. This finding may be related to sex differences in cognitive function and behaviour as well as in the prevalence and symptoms of associated brain diseases. 
The maps are being integrated into the Julich Brain Atlas that is openly accessible via EBRAINS.

Text: Lisa Vincenz-Donnelly

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JOURNAL

Frontiers in Neuroanatomy

DOI

10.3389/fnana.2022.915877 

ARTICLE TITLE

Cytoarchitecture, intersubject variability, and 3D mapping of four new areas of the human anterior prefrontal cortex

Nation's first Institute of Optics eyes 50% increase in faculty; largest gift in its history will help meet an increasing demand for trained optics graduates

Thanks to a $12 million challenge fund from James and Tammy Wyant, the Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester will have an opportunity to create 10 endowed professorships

Grant and Award Announcement

UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER

 

IMAGE: CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER LEFT, JAMES AND TAMMY WYANT, THOMAS BROWN, AND DONNA STRICKLAND. view more 

CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER

Thanks to a $12 million challenge fund from one of its most distinguished alumni, the Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester will have an opportunity to increase its faculty by 50 percent as it prepares to enter its second century.

The challenge is endowed by University of Rochester life trustee James C. Wyant ’67 MS ’69 PhD and his wife, Tammy, who will provide 60 percent of the $1.5 million required for a professorship and $2 million required for a distinguished professorship.

The first distinguished professorship will recognize Nobel Prize recipient Donna Strickland, one of the most notable alumni of the institute. An $800,000 gift from Optica, a leading society in optics and photonics, will be matched with $1.2M by the Wyant Challenge.

The 10-year challenge fund—the largest gift in the institute’s history—will create 10 endowed professorships—five distinguished professorships for renowned faculty and five professorships for early career faculty. This will allow the institute to increase the number of its full-time faculty members from 20 to 30, with most of the expansion expected to occur in time for the institute’s 100th anniversary celebration in 2029. The increase will help meet an increasing demand, both in the Rochester area and nationwide, for trained optics graduates.

A visiting professorship and staff position will also be endowed.

An ‘extraordinary opportunity’ to bolster optics education

Wyant, a pioneer in optics, was one of several institute graduates who eventually settled in Tucson to help establish and grow the Optical Sciences Center at the University of Arizona. After many productive years of research, education, and entrepreneurship, he took on the task of directing and becoming the founding dean of what became the College of Optical Sciences that bears his name. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.

“Tammy and I made this gift to increase opportunities for world-class training and research in optics,” Wyant says. “Optics is a technology-enabler and a huge part of daily life, yet there are few universities in the world that have a comprehensive educational and research program in optics. The Institute of Optics, where I went to graduate school, is one place where you can get a well-rounded education in optics, and the College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona, where I spent a large part of my career, is another.”

“Jim’s and Tammy’s generosity is truly transformational,” says Sarah Mangelsdorf, president and G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor. “Their vision and partnership will help the University recruit leading scholars in optics and photonics in an increasingly competitive environment. It will dramatically impact how our Institute of Optics educates and trains the next generation of researchers and leaders. The fact that Optica has already come on board is a testament to the important work being done here.”

Wendi Heinzelman, dean of the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, says the gift will make it easier for others to contribute. “The match that Jim and Tammy are providing makes establishing a professorship that much more feasible for others who are thinking about a large gift. Because of their generosity, the Institute of Optics will play a key role advancing the field of optics—now and into the future.”

Institute director Thomas Brown says, “The collective generosity here—from Jim, Tammy, Optica, and others soon—is instrumental to the institute’s growth and success. It provides an extraordinary opportunity to build upon the unique environment and culture for optics that has been established here and elevate the institute’s preeminent position in the field.”

A key part of the gifting process, Heinzelman says, was Brown’s “phenomenal” work in creating a compelling vision for the institute in consultation with faculty, students, staff, alumni, and industry partners.

Addressing the growing demand for optics graduates

The institute, the nation’s oldest school of optics, has long been regarded as one of the most prestigious schools of optics in the world, Brown says. It has awarded about half of all optics degrees in the US. The institute is a leader in biomedical optics, fibers and optical communication, optical design and fabrication, lasers, and nano-, freeform, ultrafast, and quantum optics.

However, Brown adds, “one of our big challenges, and it’s an exciting challenge, is that the international scope and size of the field of optics is growing.”

This has fueled an increased demand for trained optics graduates at companies, research institutes, and national laboratories. As a result, other top US optics programs have been expanding. For example, Wyant and his family pledged $20 million in 2018 in a similar challenge gift to endow 14 new optics professorships at the University of Arizona.

In addition, China has emerged as a major competitor in the field during the last 20 years, Brown notes. It has greatly expanded its number of optics institutes and graduates, and now rivals US preeminence in a field considered vital to the nation’s defense, economy, and technology.

The Wyant gift will help the institute keep pace with the competition, and “continue to contribute as we have in the past, in both research and education, to the advancement of the field of optics,” Brown says.

The new professorships will allow the institute to “create a much-needed pipeline of diverse, creative, and committed young faculty whose new ideas and work as educators and researchers will drive and shape not only the institute’s future but the optics industry as a whole,” Brown says.

More faculty lines will also enable the institute to train increased numbers of undergraduate and graduate students, addressing not only national needs but answering the workforce needs of the strong cluster of optics, photonics, and imaging companies in the Rochester region.

There will be a focus on hiring new faculty with expertise in laser science, integrated photonics, and quantum optics, Brown says. While the new faculty will have primary appointments in optics, many will also have secondary appointments in other science and engineering units across the University, including the Medical Center and the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, benefiting those programs and helping the University build upon its signature strengths in those areas.