Abundant hydrocarbons in the disk around a very-low-mass star.

Very-low-mass stars (those less than 0.3 solar masses) host orbiting terrestrial planets more frequently than other types of stars. The compositions of those planets are largely unknown but are expected to relate to the protoplanetary disk in which they form. We used James Webb Space Telescope mid-infrared spectroscopy to investigate the chemical composition of the planet-forming disk around ISO-ChaI 147, a 0.11-solar-mass star. The inner disk has a carbon-rich chemistry; we identified emission from 13 carbon-bearing molecules, including ethane and benzene. The high column densities of hydrocarbons indicate that the observations probe deep into the disk. The high carbon-to-oxygen ratio indicates radial transport of material within the disk, which we predict would affect the bulk composition of any planets forming in the disk.

Water in the terrestrial planet-forming zone of the PDS 70 disk.

Terrestrial and sub-Neptune planets are expected to form in the inner (less than 10 AU) regions of protoplanetary disks1. Water plays a key role in their formation2-4, although it is yet unclear whether water molecules are formed in situ or transported from the outer disk5,6. So far Spitzer Space Telescope observations have only provided water luminosity upper limits for dust-depleted inner disks7, similar to PDS 70, the first system with direct confirmation of protoplanet presence8,9. Here we report JWST observations of PDS 70, a benchmark target to search for water in a disk hosting a large (approximately 54 AU) planet-carved gap separating an inner and outer disk10,11. Our findings show water in the inner disk of PDS 70. This implies that potential terrestrial planets forming therein have access to a water reservoir. The column densities of water vapour suggest in-situ formation via a reaction sequence involving O, H2 and/or OH, and survival through water self-shielding5. This is also supported by the presence of CO2 emission, another molecule sensitive to ultraviolet photodissociation. Dust shielding, and replenishment of both gas and small dust from the outer disk, may also play a role in sustaining the water reservoir12. Our observations also reveal a strong variability of the mid-infrared spectral energy distribution, pointing to a change of inner disk geometry.

Early Release Science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRSpec PRISM.

Transmission spectroscopy1-3 of exoplanets has revealed signatures of water vapour, aerosols and alkali metals in a few dozen exoplanet atmospheres4,5. However, these previous inferences with the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes were hindered by the observations' relatively narrow wavelength range and spectral resolving power, which precluded the unambiguous identification of other chemical species-in particular the primary carbon-bearing molecules6,7. Here we report a broad-wavelength 0.5-5.5 µm atmospheric transmission spectrum of WASP-39b8, a 1,200 K, roughly Saturn-mass, Jupiter-radius exoplanet, measured with the JWST NIRSpec's PRISM mode9 as part of the JWST Transiting Exoplanet Community Early Release Science Team Program10-12. We robustly detect several chemical species at high significance, including Na (19σ), H2O (33σ), CO2 (28σ) and CO (7σ). The non-detection of CH4, combined with a strong CO2 feature, favours atmospheric models with a super-solar atmospheric metallicity. An unanticipated absorption feature at 4 µm is best explained by SO2 (2.7σ), which could be a tracer of atmospheric photochemistry. These observations demonstrate JWST's sensitivity to a rich diversity of exoplanet compositions and chemical processes.

Non-destructive Near Infrared Spectroscopy for the labelling of frozen Iberian pork loins.

Iberian pigs fed on acorns and pasture were slaughtered from January until March of 2018 and 2019. The meat from those Iberian pigs is a seasonal food that only can be found fresh, at the marketplace, during a limit period of the year. Selling frozen-thawed meat is a legal practice, but consumers must be informed about it on the product label. However, to declare as fresh meat, meat previously frozen, is one of the most frequent meat frauds. The present study compares the performance of two rather different Near Infrared Spectroscopy instruments, based on Fourier Transform and Linear Variable Filter technologies, for the in-situ detection of fresh and frozen-thawed acorns-fed Iberian pig loins using Partial Least Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA). The performance of the models developed for both instruments offered a very high discriminant ability. Furthermore, the models showed consistent results and interpretation when were evaluated with several scalars and graphical methods.

Zinc deficiency and growth: current concepts in relationship to two important points: intellectual and sexual development.

Zinc deficiency remains a serious health problem worldwide affecting developed as well as developing countries. Despite the evidence proving that zinc deprivation during the periods of rapid growth negatively affects the cognitive brain as well as sexual development, there are few complete studies carried out in children. The present article proposes a revision of the evidence gathered until now on the relationship existing between zinc deficiency and intellectual and sexual development during the stages of childhood, preadolescence, and adolescence.