High-spatial resolution functional chemistry of nitrogen compounds in the observed UK meteorite fall Winchcombe.

Organic matter in extraterrestrial samples is a complex material that might have played an important role in the delivery of prebiotic molecules to the early Earth. We report here on the identification of nitrogen-containing compounds such as amino acids and N-heterocycles within the recent observed meteorite fall Winchcombe by high-spatial resolution spectroscopy techniques. Although nitrogen contents of Winchcombe organic matter are low (N/C ~ 1-3%), we were able to detect the presence of these compounds using a low-noise direct electron detector. These biologically relevant molecules have therefore been tentatively found within a fresh, minimally processed meteorite sample by high spatial resolution techniques conserving the overall petrographic context. Carbon functional chemistry investigations show that sizes of aromatic domains are small and that abundances of carboxylic functional groups are low. Our observations demonstrate that Winchcombe represents an important addition to the collection of carbonaceous chondrites and still preserves pristine extraterrestrial organic matter.

Evolutionary developmental psychology / Psicología evolucionista del desarrollo

The field of evolutionary developmental psychology can potentially broaden the horizons of mainstream evolutionary psychology by combining the principles of Darwinian evolution by natural selection with the study of human development, focusing on the epigenetic effects that occur between humans and their environment in a way that attempts to explain how evolved psychological mechanisms become expressed in the phenotypes of adults. An evolutionary developmental perspective includes an appreciation of comparative research and we, among others, argue that contrasting the cognition of humans with that of nonhuman primates can provide a framework with which to understand how human cognitive abilities and intelligence evolved. Furthermore, we argue that several «immature» aspects of childhood (e.g., play and immature cognition) serve both as deferred adaptations as well as imparting immediate benefits. Intense selection pressure was surely exerted on childhood over human evolutionary history and, as a result, neglecting to consider the early developmental period of children when studying their later adulthood produces an incomplete picture of the evolved adaptations expressed through human behavior and cognition (AU)

El campo de la psicología evolucionista del desarrollo puede ampliar potencialmente los horizontes de la psicología evolucionista, combinando los principios darwinistas de la evolución por selección natural con el estudio del desarrollo humano, centrándose en los efectos epigenéticos entre los seres humanos y su entorno, de manera que explique cómo los mecanismos psicológicos evolucionados se acaban expresando en el fenotipo de los sujetos adultos. Una perspectiva evolucionista del desarrollo incluye una consideración de la investigación comparada, y, como otros muchos especialistas, sostenemos que la comparación de la cognición humana con la de primates no humanos puede proporcionar un marco adecuado para comprender mejor cómo la inteligencia y otras habilidades cognitivas humanas evolucionaron. Además, se sostiene que varios aspectos «inmaduros» de la infancia (e.g., el juego y la cognición inmadura) sirven a la vez como adaptaciones diferidas y adaptaciones que tienen beneficios a corto plazo. Probablemente una intensa presión selectiva ha sido ejercida sobre la infancia a lo largo de la historia evolutiva humana, y, como resultado, negarse a considerar la relevancia del período temprano de desarrollo infantil cuando se estudia el comportamiento adulto, puede generar una visión incompleta de las adaptaciones evolutivas expresadas en la cognición y el comportamiento humanos (AU)