A giant planet transiting a 3-Myr protostar with a misaligned disk.

Astronomers have found more than a dozen planets transiting stars that are 10-40 million years old, but younger transiting planets have remained elusive. The lack of such discoveries may be because planets have not fully formed at this age or because our view is blocked by the protoplanetary disk. However, we now know that many outer disks are warped or broken; provided the inner disk is depleted, transiting planets may thus be visible.

Sulfur Lone Pairs Control Topology in Heterotrimetallic Complexes: An Experimental and Theoretical Study.

Heterotrimetallic complexes with (NS)M metallodithiolates, M = Ni, [Fe(NO)], and [Co(NO)], as bidentate chelating ligands to a central trans-Cr(NO)(MeCN) unit were characterized as the first members of a new class, , , . The complexes exhibit a cisoid structural topology, ascribed to the stereoactivity of the available lone pair(s) on the sulfur donors, resulting in a dispersed, electropositive pocket from the N/N and N/S hydrocarbon linkers wherein the Cr-NO site is housed. Computational studies explored alternative isomers (transoid and inverted cisoid) that suggest a combination of electronic and steric effects govern the geometrical selectivity.

Microscopic computed tomography-based virtual histology of embryos.

Advances in imaging technologies and computational capabilities have made possible novel methods for phenotypic assessments and visualization of detailed anatomical structures of whole embryos. We recently reported a rapid and inexpensive technique for achieving high-resolution virtual histology for phenotyping assessment of mouse embryos (Johnson et al., PLoS Genet 2:e61, 2006).