A ring-like accretion structure in M87 connecting its black hole and jet.

The nearby radio galaxy M87 is a prime target for studying black hole accretion and jet formation1,2. Event Horizon Telescope observations of M87 in 2017, at a wavelength of 1.3 mm, revealed a ring-like structure, which was interpreted as gravitationally lensed emission around a central black hole3. Here we report images of M87 obtained in 2018, at a wavelength of 3.5 mm, showing that the compact radio core is spatially resolved. High-resolution imaging shows a ring-like structure of [Formula: see text] Schwarzschild radii in diameter, approximately 50% larger than that seen at 1.3 mm. The outer edge at 3.5 mm is also larger than that at 1.3 mm. This larger and thicker ring indicates a substantial contribution from the accretion flow with absorption effects, in addition to the gravitationally lensed ring-like emission. The images show that the edge-brightened jet connects to the accretion flow of the black hole. Close to the black hole, the emission profile of the jet-launching region is wider than the expected profile of a black-hole-driven jet, suggesting the possible presence of a wind associated with the accretion flow.

Thiols in the ISM: first detection of HC(O)SH and confirmation of C2H5SH.

The chemical compounds carrying the thiol group (-SH) have been considered essential in recent prebiotic studies regarding the polymerization of amino acids. We have searched for this kind of compounds toward the Galactic Centre quiescent cloud G+0.693-0.027. We report the first detection in the interstellar space of the trans-isomer of monothioformic acid (t-HC(O)SH) with an abundance of ~ 1 × 10-10. Additionally, we provide a solid confirmation of the gauche isomer of ethyl mercaptan (g-C2H5SH) with an abundance of ~ 3 × 10-10, and we also detect methyl mercaptan (CH3SH) with an abundance of ~ 5 × 10-9. Abundance ratios were calculated for the three SH-bearing species and their OH-analogues, revealing similar trends between alcohols and thiols with increasing complexity. Possible chemical routes for the interstellar synthesis of t-HC(O)SH, CH3SH and C2H5SH are discussed, as well as the relevance of these compounds in the synthesis of prebiotic proteins in the primitive Earth.

Discovery in space of ethanolamine, the simplest phospholipid head group.

Cell membranes are a key element of life because they keep the genetic material and metabolic machinery together. All present cell membranes are made of phospholipids, yet the nature of the first membranes and the origin of phospholipids are still under debate. We report here the presence of ethanolamine in space, [Formula: see text]OH, which forms the hydrophilic head of the simplest and second-most-abundant phospholipid in membranes. The molecular column density of ethanolamine in interstellar space is N = (1.51[Formula: see text]0.07)[Formula: see text], implying a molecular abundance with respect to [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] Previous studies reported its presence in meteoritic material, but they suggested that it is synthesized in the meteorite itself by decomposition of amino acids. However, we find that the proportion of the molecule with respect to water in the interstellar medium is similar to the one found in the meteorite ([Formula: see text]). These results indicate that ethanolamine forms efficiently in space and, if delivered onto early Earth, could have contributed to the assembling and early evolution of primitive membranes.

A fiber-optic sensor to detect volatile organic compounds based on a porous silica xerogel film.

Fiber-optic sensors are increasingly used for the determination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air matrices. This paper provides experimental results on the sensitivity of a fiber-optic sensor that uses a film of a porous silica xerogel as the sensing element. This film was synthesized by the sol-gel process and affixed to the end of the optical fiber by the dip-coating technique. This intrinsic sensor works in reflection mode, and the transduction takes place in the light that travels through the core of the fiber. The VOCs included in this research cover a wide range of compounds with different functional groups and polarities. The highest sensitivity was for 2-propanol (13.1±1.4 M(-1) nm(-1)), followed by toluene (11.4±1.4 M(-1) nm(-1)), and 1-butylamine (9.5±0.4 M(-1) nm(-1)). Acetone and cyclohexane had the lowest sensitivity of all studied VOCs. Limits of detection varied between 9.1×10(-5) M for 1-butylamine and 1.6×10(-3) M for ethanol. Silanol groups on the xerogel surface act as weak acids and interact strongly with molecules that contain OH groups like alcohols, π-electrons like toluene, or a lone pair of electrons like toluene. Stronger interaction of methanol and ethanol with the silanol groups on the film led to some irreversible adsorption of these analytes at room temperature.