Early mammals lived longer

University of Bonn researchers are studying the lifespan and growth patterns of early mammals

University of Bonn

 

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On the left is a parent of the early mammal Dryolestes which raises a brood after reaching sexual maturity at age four. On the right is a Haldanodon, a member of the family of mammal-like docodonts, before fully reaching the mammalian evolutionary level; the creature's lifespan was eleven to fourteen years.

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Credit: © Image: James Brown/©Pam Gill.

What distinguishes the growth and development patterns of early mammals of the Jurassic period? This is the question jointly investigated by researchers of Queen Mary University of London and the University of Bonn. Paleontologists have been able to gauge the lifespan and growth rates of these ancient animals, and even when they reached sexual maturity, by studying growth rings in fossilized tooth roots. The study has now been published in the journal Science Advances. Don´t publish before 8 pm CET on Wednesday, August 7!

“Never before have we been able to reconstruct the growth patterns of these early mammals in such detail,” says lead author Dr. Elis Newham, a postdoc at Queen Mary University of London who during the study was an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow at the University of Bonn, up to March 31, 2024.

For the study, the team analyzed fossilized tooth roots of mammal species from the Early to Late Jurassic periods (200-150 million years ago) found at three separate sites. The finds made in Wales are of some of the oldest known mammalian precursors from the Early Jurassic period, while the fossils found in Oxfordshire, UK are of a very broad array of coexisting early mammals. The fossils from the third site in Portugal date from the Late Jurassic.

Fossil tooth roots X-rayed

The research team studied the fossils using a technique called synchrotron X-ray tomography in which electrons are accelerated to near light speed (unlike regular X-ray imaging). The technique affords several advantages, starting with the fact that the fossils no longer have to be prepared, i.e. cut up into slices, so they can be analyzed whole. Furthermore, images obtained via synchrotron X-ray tomography are of higher quality than images from conventional X-ray microtomography.

Researchers were able to image tiny growth rings in fossilized root cement—the bone tissue that attaches the teeth to the jaw. “The rings are similar to those in trees, but on a microscopic level,” explains Professor Thomas Martin of the Vertebrates – Mammals working group at the University of Bonn Institute of Organismic Biology, who is a senior author of the study. “Counting the rings and analyzing their thickness and texture enabled us to reconstruct the growth patterns and lifespans of these extinct animals.”

The researchers determined that the first signs of the growth patterns characteristic of modern mammals, such as a puberty growth spurt, started emerging roughly 150 million years ago. Early mammals grew much more slowly but lived substantially longer than today’s small mammals, with lifespans of eight to fourteen years instead of just one or two as in modern mice, for example. However, it took early mammals years to reach sexual maturity, again in contrast to their modern descendants which reach sexual maturity in just a few months.

“Our findings suggest that the distinctive life history patterns of mammals, characterized by high metabolic rates and extended parental care phases for example, have evolved over millions of years,” Dr. Elis Newham explains, “The Jurassic period appears to have been a crucial time for this shift.”

Sponsorship

In addition to Queens University of London and the University of Bonn, the study partners included the University of Helsinki, the Geological Survey of Finland, the Natural History Museum (UK), the University of Hull (UK), the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (France), the University of Southampton (UK), the College of Osteopathic Medicine (USA), the University of Bristol (UK), and the University of Edinburgh (UK).

The study was made possible by funding under the European Community Seventh Framework Programme, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council studentships, an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship for Dr. Elis Newham, the Paul Scherrer Institute, the Academy of Finland, Gingko Investments LTD and Versus Arthritis Grant 23115.

Fossil jaw of an early mammal with complete tooth row, prepared for scanning in the synchrotron.

Credit

Photo: Elis Newham

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Journal

Science Advances

DOI

10.1126/sciadv.ado4555 

Article Title

The origins of mammal growth patterns during the Jurassic mammalian radiation.

Article Publication Date

7-Aug-2024

 

Rising nighttime temperatures disrupt plant metabolism: a review calls for adaptive strategies

Maximum Academic Press

 

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High night temperature interrupts carbon balance between photosynthesis and respiration, causing a carbon deficit in plants. The upward arrows indicate increase or promotion, and downward arrows indicate decrease or inhibition.

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Credit: The authors

A research team has reviewed the detrimental effects of high nighttime temperatures (HNT) on temperate plant species, highlighting disruptions in physiological and metabolic processes such as carbohydrate, amino acid, and hormone metabolism. HNT accelerates leaf senescence, disrupts cellular membranes, and increases respiration rates, leading to the loss of carbon and carbon deficits within plant tissues. This review emphasizes the need for further research to uncover the key metabolic pathways and molecular mechanisms involved in plant adaptation to HNT, aiming to inform genetic modifications, breeding strategies, and improved management practices to enhance plant resilience.

Global warming, particularly the faster rise in nighttime temperatures compared to daytime temperatures, adversely affects plant growth and development. Current research shows that elevated HNT hinder plant productivity, with significant yield losses observed in crops like rice and wheat. However, the mechanisms behind these inhibitory effects, particularly regarding physiological and metabolic processes, are not well understood.

A study (DOI: 10.48130/grares-0024-0013) published in Grass Research on 04 July 2024, highlights the need to investigate how HNT affects carbon, amino acid, and hormone metabolism to develop strategies for mitigating its adverse impacts on plant productivity.

Researchers review the current state of research, revealing that high HNT disrupts critical physiological processes, including photosynthesis and respiration, which control carbon balance and availability. HNT accelerates leaf senescence, reduces chlorophyll content, and damages chloroplasts, leading to a significant decline in photosynthetic efficiency. Enhanced respiration rates at night consume more carbohydrates, exacerbating carbon deficits and reducing overall plant productivity. Additionally, HNT impacts amino acid metabolism, causing a variable response among different amino acids, and increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to oxidative damage of Rubisco. Hormone metabolism is also affected by HNT, with a decrease in growth-promoting hormones like cytokinins and auxins, and an increase in stress-related hormones such as abscisic acid (ABA) and salicylic acid (SA). This review highlights the urgent need for further investigation into how plants adapt to HNT, aiming to develop genetic modifications, breeding strategies, and improved management practices to enhance plant resilience and productivity in the face of rising nighttime temperatures.

According to the study's lead researcher, Bingru Huang, “The mechanisms of how plants can adapt to this stress remain largely unknown, particularly the key metabolic pathways and molecular factors or networks. Further research addressing these unknown aspects is critically important for improving plant resilience against warmer nights, particularly through genetic modification and breeding efforts, as well as management practices.”

In summary, nighttime temperatures are rising faster than daytime temperatures, adversely affecting temperate plant species by disrupting photosynthesis, accelerating leaf senescence, and increasing respiration rates, leading to carbon deficits. HNT also alters amino acid and hormone metabolism, with stress-related hormones increasing and growth-promoting hormones decreasing. Understanding the precise metabolic pathways and molecular mechanisms of plant adaptation to HNT is crucial. Future research should focus on developing genetic modifications, breeding strategies, and management practices to enhance plant resilience to warmer nights.

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References

DOI

10.48130/grares-0024-0013

Original Source URL

https://doi.org/10.48130/grares-0024-0013

Funding information

This work was supported by the Rutgers Center for Turfgrass Science.

About Grass Research

Grass Research (e-ISSN 2769-1675) is an open access, online-only journal focused on mechanistic aspects of biology of grasses with broad international and disciplinary interests. Research papers and review articles published in Grass Research represent significant advances in the mechanistic understanding of the genetic, genomic, molecular, cellular, biochemical, and physiological processes and pathways involved in plant growth and development, as well as interactions with the environment and other organisms, and cultural management practices. Original research and review articles will also cover the development and application of new emerging methodologies and technologies in plant biology, such as gene editing, "Omics", non-invasive imaging, remote sensing, and artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. Grass Research also publishes editorials and perspectives for expressing opinions on a specific issue or novel insights about existing research on a particular topic.

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Journal

Grass Research

DOI

10.48130/grares-0024-0013 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Rising Nighttime Temperatures Disrupt Plant Metabolism: A Review Calls for Adaptive Strategies

 

Effective new catalyst brings hope for cleaner energy, wastewater treatment, and green chemistry

Hokkaido University

 

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Scanning electron micrograph of the catalyst, NiOOH-Ni, developed in this study. (Hanwen Liu, et al. Advanced Energy Materials. August 7, 2024)

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Credit: Hanwen Liu, et al. Advanced Energy Materials. August 7, 2024

A catalyst that significantly enhances ammonia conversion could improve wastewater treatment, green chemical and hydrogen production.

A team of scientists have developed an effective catalyst with a remarkable ability to enhance the efficiency of ammonia conversion. Published in Advanced Energy Materials, the study reveals the catalyst's potential to significantly advance wastewater treatment, green nitrite and nitrate, as well as hydrogen production.

Catalysts are substances that speed up chemical reactions by providing a more efficient route for a reaction to occur and making it easier to start and finish. Since catalysts are neither consumed nor altered in the reaction, they can be used repeatedly, and they are essential in a variety of industrial, environmental, and biochemical processes.

The team, which included researchers from Japan’s Hokkaido University, Australia’s University of Technology Sydney and elsewhere, developed the catalyst, called NiOOH-Ni, by combining nickel (Ni) with nickel oxyhydroxide.

Ammonia can cause severe environmental problems, such as excessive algal growth in water bodies, which depletes oxygen and harms aquatic life. At high concentrations, ammonia can harm humans and wildlife. Effective management and conversion of ammonia are thus critical, but its corrosive nature makes it difficult to handle.

The researchers developed NiOOH-Ni using an electrochemical process. Nickel foam, a porous material, was treated with an electrical current while immersed in a chemical solution. This treatment resulted in the formation of nickel oxyhydroxide particles on the foam’s surface. Despite their irregular and non-crystalline structure, these nickel-oxygen particles significantly enhance ammonia conversion efficiency. The catalyst’s design allows it to operate effectively at lower voltages and higher currents than traditional catalysts.

“NiOOH-Ni works better than Ni foam, and the reaction pathway depends on the amount of electricity (voltage) used,” explains Professor Zhenguo Huang from the University of Technology Sydney, who led the study. “At lower voltages, NiOOH-Ni produces nitrite, while at higher voltages, it generates nitrate.”

This means the catalyst can be used in different ways depending on what is needed. For example, it can be used to clean wastewater by converting ammonia into less harmful substances. But in another process, it can also be used to produce hydrogen gas, a clean fuel. This flexibility makes NiOOH-Ni valuable for various applications.

"NiOOH-Ni is impressively durable and stable, and it works well even after being used multiple times," says Associate Professor Andrey Lyalin from Hokkaido University, who was involved in the study. "This makes it a great alternative to traditional, more expensive catalysts like platinum, which aren’t as effective at converting ammonia."

The catalyst’s long-term reliability makes it suitable for large-scale industrial use, potentially transforming how industries handle wastewater and produce clean energy.

The reaction cell for simultaneous hydrogen production and ammonia oxidation. (Hanwen Liu, et al. Advanced Energy Materials. August 7, 2024)

Electrolysis of ammonia aqueous solution produces nitrite and nitrate on the NiOOH-Ni anode, and green hydrogen on the Ni2P-Ni cathode. This presents advantages over the currently used thermal ammonia cracking due to the simultaneous formation of hydrogen as an energy carrier and nitrite and nitrate as valuable chemicals under ambient conditions. (Hanwen Liu, et al. Advanced Energy Materials. August 7, 2024)

Credit

Hanwen Liu, et al. Advanced Energy Materials. August 7, 2024

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Journal

Advanced Energy Materials

DOI

10.1002/aenm.202401675 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Electrocatalytic Ammonia Oxidation to Nitrite and Nitrate with NiOOH-Ni

Article Publication Date

7-Aug-2024

The olfactory performance of family dogs was tested by Hungarian ethologists

Dogs’ olfaction have been used for various tasks from hunting to disease identification, sparking scientific interest in the factors that truly influence their olfactory performance

Eötvös Loránd University

 

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A new comprehensive study by the ethologists of ELTE Eötvös Loránd University provides valuable insights into the olfactory abilities of dogs, revealing whether certain environmental and biological factors do indeed impact their performance as previously thought. The study was published in Sceintific Reports.

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Credit: Photo: Attila Salamon / Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University

A new comprehensive study by the ethologists of ELTE Eötvös Loránd University provides valuable insights into the olfactory abilities of dogs, revealing whether certain environmental and biological factors do indeed impact their performance as previously thought. The study was published in Scientific Reports.

Dogs’ olfaction have been used for various tasks from hunting to disease identification, sparking scientific interest in the factors that truly influence their olfactory performance. The first author, Attila Salamon from the ELTE NAP Canine Brain Research Group, said that „such tasks require specific training, but the outcomes of the tests conducted with these specially trained dogs cannot be generalized to the entire species.”

A team of researchers from the Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, undertook the challenge of examining the olfactory performance of more than four hundred untrained family dogs of various breeds. This study aimed to provide a more comprehensive

understanding of dogs' scent detection capabilities and determine whether specific environmental and demographic factors influence their performance in an olfactory task.

The study used the Natural Detection Task – developed by the team and already successfully applied even in the case of wolves – a  simple search task, in which the dogs had to find a hidden dog treat in a line of pots. No training was necessary, as the test leveraged the dogs' natural motivation for food. The task featured three difficulty levels; the first level acted as a pre-test to ensure the dogs understood the task, were motivated, and did not rely on alternative problem-solving methods. Dogs successfully completing the third level were considered to be the best.

During the test an experimenter – unaware of the location of the hidden food – was observing whether the dog spontaneously indicated a pot (e.g., licking the pot, placing the paw on the pot, poking or pushing the pot with the nose).

Contrary to common assumptions, temperature (ranging from 0 to 25 °C) and humidity (between 18 to 90%) were found to have no significant effect on the dogs' ability to detect the target scent. However, the test location was an important factor; dogs tested indoors outperformed those tested outdoors, indicating that distracting stimuli in outdoor environments may significantly impact performance in olfactory tasks.

Considering the demographic factors,

there was no difference in olfactory performance based on the sex or neutering status of the dogs.

However, the study revealed that 2-3 year old dogs exhibited somewhat superior olfactory performance compared to dogs younger than 2 years and older than 6 years.

The researchers retested a subsample of the dogs to assess the reliability of the test and did not find a significant learning effect between the two test occasions, that is, the dogs did not perform better during the second test. This confirms the suitability of this method for testing the olfactory performance of untrained family dogs.

"By revealing the factors that really influence the effectiveness, our study can provide answers to important questions that have long concerned professionals using the olfactory abilities of dogs. Focusing on a large and diverse sample of untrained dogs, we can better generalize these findings to the broader canine population" – concluded Márta Gácsi, the lead researcher.

Dogs’ olfaction have been used for various tasks from hunting to disease identification, sparking scientific interest in the factors that truly influence their olfactory performance. The first author, Attila Salamon from the ELTE NAP Canine Brain Research Group, said that „such tasks require specific training, but the outcomes of the tests conducted with these specially trained dogs cannot be generalized to the entire species.”

Credit

Photo: Attila Salamon / Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University

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Journal

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-024-62957-5 

Article Title

Success in the Natural Detection Task is influenced by only a few factors generally believed to affect dogs’ olfactory performance

Prioritize well-being over growth: new paradigm needed for climate-friendly lifestyles

Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) – Helmholtz Centre Potsdam

Ensuring the well-being of citizens while reducing resource consumption has proved to be a massive challenge. Policymakers in the European Union are keen to identify new approaches to provisioning that will safeguard the well-being of citizens without incurring excessive environmental burdens. A study conducted in five EU countries concludes that rather than economic growth, the satisfaction of citizens’ needs should take centre-stage in efforts to rethink and redesign provisioning systems.

“In order to deliver on the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement we must change the current unsustainable patterns of production and consumption across the four central provisioning systems of food, mobility, housing, and leisure. Our research sought to identify the key structural barriers to change. To achieve this, we conducted interviews with experts in five EU countries - Germany, Latvia, Sweden, Spain and Hungary - and held discussions in Stakeholder Think Labs with local representatives from politics, civil society, media and think tanks,” explains lead author Halliki Kreinin (Research Institute for Sustainability - Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, RIFS). This research was carried out through the EU 1.5° Lifestyles project consortium, which is coordinated by RIFS.

The interviewees identified the economic growth paradigm as the most impactful barrier to the transformation of provisioning systems. In their opinion, it is so powerful that actors in all areas of society have adopted it indiscriminately as a goal for action. A needs-oriented approach, focused on ensuring the well-being of all, offers an alternative. Pivoting to this narrative would also help to build acceptance for the necessary downsizing or phase-out of some harmful industries and technologies.

Holistic approach to sustainability policy needed

Establishing individual and collective well-being as a guiding principle, offers the opportunity to pursue more consistent sustainability policies, the interviewees stated. Many people favour measures such as bans, limits and taxes where necessary. “Restricting or strongly disincentivising the purchase and use of extremely polluting goods and services such as private jets, private space travel or SUVs would be one important step. However, individual measures alone will not suffice; rather, interlinking policies and measures are needed. At the moment, climate and economic policies are frequently at odds with each other,” says RIFS director Doris Fuchs, who co-authored the study.

In order to implement a coherent sustainability policy, governments would have to curb the influence of powerful interest groups such as the fossil fuel industry. Other important enablers for change include incentivising investment in sustainable technologies and products and incorporating environmental costs in pricing, for example by lowering taxes on labour and raising those on emissions / energy consumption.

Social inequality hinders change

The interviewees also mentioned various soft factors such as strengthening alternative narratives and the adoption of alternative indicators of quality of life. The problem of inequality came up repeatedly in the Stakeholder Think Labs. Poorer population groups are most affected by climate change, but also lack the resources to bring about change. Future policymaking must facilitate their participation. Issues relating to sustainability should also be included in curricula and school education to promote change.

Interviewees across all five countries emphasised that comprehensive structural change is necessary, explains Halliki Kreinin: “We cannot leave the fight against climate change to individual citizens. Instead, we must fundamentally change our provisioning systems. Currently, these systems are failing to meet the needs of populations and are operating at levels of resource consumption that are too high deliver.” Developing sustainable provisioning systems that can satisfy needs and deliver on the Paris Climate Goals will require a comprehensive transformation with concerted strategic measures at the system level.

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Journal

Sustainability Science Practice and Policy

DOI

10.1080/15487733.2024.2372120 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Transforming provisioning systems to enable 1.5° lifestyles in Europe? Expert and stakeholder views on overcoming structural barriers

 

European X-ray laser explores a poorly understood state of matter

The Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences

 

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Warm dense matter occurs inside Jupiter-type giant planets (where it surrounds the rocky core as a metallic liquid at a temperature of many thousands of kelvin) and in the interiors of small stars – brown dwarfs.

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Credit: Source: IFJ PAN / NASA

The properties of warm dense matter have until recently been little known. Now, thanks to the use of X-ray lasers, physicists are gaining more and more information about this important but still mysterious state of matter. The first comprehensive observations of ionisation processes in warm dense matter, carried out at the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser (European XFEL), have just been presented in one of the most prestigious physics journals.

State of matter with a temperature of a few thousand degrees and a high density, close to that of a solid, can be found, among others, in the interiors of brown dwarfs or gaseous planets. Although common in the Universe, it is very difficult to be produced and analysed in the laboratory. A new era in experimental research of this so-called warm dense matter (WDM) state began just a dozen years ago, when physicists launched the first free-electron X-ray lasers. At the forefront of this type of device is the nearly 3.5 km-long European XFEL laser. A series of experiments recently carried out there made it possible to observe for the first time how quickly a metal transforms into the exotic state of ionised WDM to become transparent (non-absorbing) to X-rays at the end of the process. The achievement of the international team of scientists – including those from the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IFJ PAN) in Cracow – is discussed in a paper published in the journal Nature Physics.

X-Ray Free-Electron Lasers (XFELs) are used to generate high-intensity X-ray pulses lasting single femtoseconds, i.e. millionths of a billionth of a second. These can be used to study the structure of matter at atomic length scales and to track phenomena on extremely short time scales. One of only a dozen such devices in the world is the European XFEL in Hamburg, built in cooperation with the DESY research centre.

“In our experiment at the European XFEL, we illuminated copper samples with X-ray pulses lasting 15 femtoseconds, using different, gradually increasing intensities”, Prof. Beata Ziaja-Motyka (IFJ PAN, DESY) introduces the experiment. The first author of the paper in question, Dr. Laurent Mercadier from the European XFEL, adds some physical details: “When a single X-ray laser pulse reached the material, it caused strong ionisation. The electrons released in the process were characterised by high temperatures. Under these extreme conditions, the copper was transformed into a state of warm dense matter. We meticulously recorded how much radiation passed through the matter and from this inferred the ionisation changes in the observed system.”

Simulations carried out using the BOLTZMANN SOLVER software, developed since 2004 at DESY by Prof. Ziaja-Motyka, were particularly helpful in interpreting the measurement results. This tool was used to simulate changes in the electronic occupancy of individual energy levels in WDM depending on the intensity of the incident laser radiation.

By confronting experimental data with simulations, it was established that when the X-ray intensity becomes sufficiently high, atoms of WDM become strongly ionised. As a result of this phenomenon, new energy levels appear which can be occupied by excited electrons – making WDM opaque for photons resonant with transitions to these new energy levels. These states had already been observed previously with optical lasers, however, the lasers’ energy limitations did not allow them to be studied in more detail. Now, thanks to the European X-ray laser XFEL, it is possible to characterise them accurately also in response to various intensities of X-ray pulses. In accordance with theoretical predictions for X-ray absorption spectra, prepared by Dr. Joshua Kas (University of Washington, USA) and Dr. Andrei Benediktovitch (DESY, Hamburg), it was further observed that with increasing the laser intensity the warm dense matter becomes first opaque and then – at highest intensities – transparent to the laser pulse.

“The appearance of ‘transparency’ – i.e. lack of absorption – in WDM is a consequence of the high ionisation of WDM atoms occurring at sufficiently high X-ray pulse intensities. The energy of the X-ray photons available in the experiment then becomes too small to excite further electrons. As a result, these photons cannot be absorbed by the warm dense matter at all,” explains Prof. Ziaja-Motyka.

Knowledge of the properties of warm dense matter and the processes taking place within it is not only of astrophysical, but also of practical, engineering importance. Matter in this state plays an important role in certain types of controlled nuclear fusion (ICF – Inertial Confinement Fusion), and also appears during the ablation of metallic heat shields of spacecraft returning from orbit to Earth.

The team of physicists at the European X-ray XFEL laser, led by Prof. Nina Rohringer (DESY, Universität Hamburg), intends to continue research into the electron and ionisation processes occurring in WDM and their dynamics. On the Polish side, the work is co-financed by the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

 

The Henryk Niewodniczański Institute of Nuclear Physics (IFJ PAN) is currently one of the largest research institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences. A wide range of research carried out at IFJ PAN covers basic and applied studies, from particle physics and astrophysics, through hadron physics, high-, medium-, and low-energy nuclear physics, condensed matter physics (including materials engineering), to various applications of nuclear physics in interdisciplinary research, covering medical physics, dosimetry, radiation and environmental biology, environmental protection, and other related disciplines. The average yearly publication output of IFJ PAN includes over 600 scientific papers in high-impact international journals. Each year the Institute hosts about 20 international and national scientific conferences. One of the most important facilities of the Institute is the Cyclotron Centre Bronowice (CCB), which is an infrastructure unique in Central Europe, serving as a clinical and research centre in the field of medical and nuclear physics. In addition, IFJ PAN runs four accredited research and measurement laboratories. IFJ PAN is a member of the Marian Smoluchowski Kraków Research Consortium: “Matter-Energy-Future”, which in the years 2012-2017 enjoyed the status of the Leading National Research Centre (KNOW) in physics. In 2017, the European Commission granted the Institute the HR Excellence in Research award. As a result of the categorization of the Ministry of Education and Science, the Institute has been classified into the A+ category (the highest scientific category in Poland) in the field of physical sciences.

SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS:

“Transient Absorption of Warm Dense Matter Created by an X-Ray Free-Electron Laser”

Mercadier, A. Benediktovitch, S. Krusic, J. J. Kas, J. Schlappa, M. Agaker, R. Carley, G. Fazio, N. Gerasimova, Y. Y. Kim, L. Le Guyader, G. Mercurio, S. Parchenko, J. J. Rehr, J.-E. Rubensson, S. Serkez, M. Stransky, M. Teichmann, Z. Yin, M. Zitnik, A. Scherz, B. Ziaja-Motyka, N. Rohringer

Nature Physics 2024

DOI: 10.1038/s41567-024-02587-w

 

LINKS:

http://www.ifj.edu.pl/

The website of the Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences.

http://press.ifj.edu.pl/

Press releases of the Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences.

 

IMAGES:

IFJ240807b_fot01s.jpg

HR: http://press.ifj.edu.pl/news/2024/08/07/IFJ240807b_fot01.jpg

Warm dense matter occurs inside Jupiter-type giant planets (where it surrounds the rocky core as a metallic liquid at a temperature of many thousands of kelvin) and in the interiors of small stars – brown dwarfs. (Source: IFJ PAN / NASA)

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Journal

Nature Physics

DOI

10.1038/s41567-024-02587-w 

Article Title

Transient Absorption of Warm Dense Matter Created by an X-Ray Free-Electron Laser