Cytotoxicity of TiO2 nanoparticles to mussel hemocytes and gill cells in vitro: Influence of synthesis method, crystalline structure, size and additive.

Increasing the production and applications of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) has led to grow concerns about the consequences for the environment. In this study, we investigated the effects of a set of TiO2 NPs on the viability of mussel hemocytes and gill cells using neutral red and thiazolyl tetrazolium bromide assays. For this, we compared the cytotoxicity of TiO2 NPs (0.

Impact disruption and recovery of the deep subsurface biosphere.

Although a large fraction of the world's biomass resides in the subsurface, there has been no study of the effects of catastrophic disturbance on the deep biosphere and the rate of its subsequent recovery. We carried out an investigation of the microbiology of a 1.76 km drill core obtained from the ∼35 million-year-old Chesapeake Bay impact structure, USA, with robust contamination control.

Molecular characterization and geological microenvironment of a microbial community inhabiting weathered receding shale cliffs.

Shales play an important role in many earth system processes including coastal erosion, and they form the foundations of many engineering structures. The geobiology of the interior of pyrite-containing receding shale cliffs on the coast of northeast England was examined. The surface of the weathered shales was characterised by a thin layer of disordered authigenic iron oxyhydroxides and localised acicular, platy and aggregated gypsum, which was characterised by Raman spectroscopy, XAS and SEM.

An anomalous basaltic meteorite from the innermost main belt.

Triangulated observations of fireballs allow us to determine orbits and fall positions for meteorites. The great majority of basaltic meteorites are derived from the asteroid 4 Vesta. We report on a recent fall that has orbital properties and an oxygen isotope composition that suggest a distinct parent body.