Radiation-induced alteration of apatite on the surface of Mars: first in situ observations with SuperCam Raman onboard Perseverance.

Planetary exploration relies considerably on mineral characterization to advance our understanding of the solar system, the planets and their evolution. Thus, we must understand past and present processes that can alter materials exposed on the surface, affecting space mission data. Here, we analyze the first dataset monitoring the evolution of a known mineral target in situ on the Martian surface, brought there as a SuperCam calibration target onboard the Perseverance rover.

Professional Roles, Services, and Quality of Life for End-of-Life Doulas in the United States.

Context: End-of-life doulas provide support to the chronically ill, dying, and their families. However, little is known about the roles and services of doulas practicing in the United States.

Objectives: The purpose of the current study is to gain understanding of the roles and experiences of death doulas in the United States.

First report of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) response to human-given cues.

Many argue that the animal understanding of human referential communication is a by-product of domestication. However, the domestication hypothesis is not unanimously supported as some nondomesticated species such as sea lions, dolphins, or African elephants perform well in the understanding of human pointing gesture. There is a need to study species with different levels of domestication across different taxa to understand the emerging communicative sociocognitive skills in animals that provide them with the ability to comprehend human-given cues.

Dark microbiome and extremely low organics in Atacama fossil delta unveil Mars life detection limits.

Identifying unequivocal signs of life on Mars is one of the most important objectives for sending missions to the red planet. Here we report Red Stone, a 163-100 My alluvial fan-fan delta that formed under arid conditions in the Atacama Desert, rich in hematite and mudstones containing clays such as vermiculite and smectites, and therefore geologically analogous to Mars. We show that Red Stone samples display an important number of microorganisms with an unusual high rate of phylogenetic indeterminacy, what we refer to as "dark microbiome", and a mix of biosignatures from extant and ancient microorganisms that can be barely detected with state-of-the-art laboratory equipment.