Leading edge technology has uncovered secrets about a world-renowned fossil hoard that could offer vital clues about early life on earth.
Researchers who analysed the 400 million-year-old-cache, found in rural north-east Scotland, say their findings reveal better preservation of the fossils at a molecular level than was previously anticipated.
Fresh scrutiny of the exquisitely preserved treasure trove from Aberdeenshire has enabled scientists to identify the chemical fingerprints of the various organisms within it. Just as the Rosetta Stone helped Egyptologists translate hieroglyphics, the team hopes these chemical codes can help them decipher more about the identity of the life forms, that other more ambiguous fossils represent.
The spectacular fossil ecosystem near the Aberdeenshire village of Rhynie was discovered in 1912, mineralised and encased by chert – hard rock composed of silica. Known as the Rhynie chert, it originates from the Early Devonian period – about 407 million years ago – and has a significant role to play in scientists understanding of life on earth.
Researchers combined the latest non-destructive imaging with data analysis and machine learning to analyse fossils from collections held by National Museums Scotland and the Universities of Aberdeen and Oxford. Scientists from the University of Edinburgh were able to probe deeper than has previously been possible, which they say could reveal new insights about less well-preserved samples. Employing a technique known as FTIR spectroscopy – in which infrared light is used to collect high-resolution data – researchers found impressive preservation of molecular information within the cells, tissues and organisms in the rock.
Since they already knew which organisms most of the fossils represented, the team was able to discover molecular fingerprints that reliably discriminate between fungi, bacteria and other groups. These fingerprints were then used to identify some of the more mysterious members of the Rhynie ecosystem, including two specimens of an enigmatic tubular “nematophyte”. These strange organisms, which are found in Devonian – and later Silurian – sediments have both algal and fungal characteristics and were previously hard to place in either category. The new findings indicate that they were unlikely to have been either lichens or fungi.
Dr Sean McMahon, Chancellor’s Fellow from the University of Edinburgh’s School of Physics and Astronomy and School of GeoSciences, said:
We have shown how a quick, non-invasive method can be used to discriminate between different lifeforms, and this opens a unique window on the diversity of early life on Earth.
The team fed their data into a machine learning algorithm that was able to classify the different organisms, providing the potential for sorting other datasets from other fossil-bearing rocks.
The study, published in Nature Communications, was funded by The Royal Society, Wallonia-Brussels International and the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico.
Dr Corentin Loron, Royal Society Newton International Fellow from the University of Edinburgh’s School of Physics and Astronomy said the study shows the value of bridging palaeontology with physics and chemistry to create new insights into early life:
Our work highlights the unique scientific importance of some of Scotland’s spectacular natural heritage and provides us with a tool for studying life in trickier, more ambiguous remnants.
Dr Nick Fraser, Keeper of Natural Sciences at National Museums Scotland, believes the value of museum collections for understanding our world should never be underestimated. He said:
The continued development of analytical techniques provides new avenues to explore the past. Our new study provides one more way of peering ever deeper into the fossil record.
Image gallery
Extreme pressure and temperature conditions are used to synthesize K9N56 which is comprised of the aromatic hexazine unit.
Aromaticity
Aromaticity plays a vital role in industrial processes, chemistry and biology. In fact, aromaticity is thought to be one of the essential components of life, allowing for the existence of key hydrocarbons species. The importance of aromaticity—a peculiar electron-based feature—is due to the fact that it provides chemical species increased stability, enabling them to persist in otherwise impossible environments.
Since it has been established that aromaticity is not exclusive to carbon-based species, many researchers have dedicated their studies to the discovery of new exotic aromatic units. In particular, nitrogen-only molecules have been targeted as they are known to be notoriously unstable, a fact that could be overturned by aromaticity and make them significantly more appealing for potential technological applications.
Hexaazabenzene, an N6 ring analogous to the most well-known aromatic species, benzene, has been shortlisted as a promising candidate. A variety of configurations and geometries have been proposed based on calculations, including that of the hexazine anion [N6]4-, but up until now, its experimental synthesis was not achieved.
Aromatic hexazine unit
Dr Dominique Laniel led a team of international collaborators in employing extreme pressure and temperature conditions to synthesize a remarkably complex K9N56 compound which is comprised of the [N6]4- hexazine ring.
To accomplish this, potassium azide (KN3) and molecular nitrogen (N2) were first squeezed to enormous pressures—more than 400,000 times atmospheric pressure—and heated using high power lasers to 2000°C. Then, to characterize the atomic arrangement adopted by the newly formed compound under these conditions, the samples were illuminated by an intense X-ray beam at two particle accelerators, the German PETRA III and the European EBS-ESRF synchrotrons.
Dr Laniel commented:
We were very surprised about the atomic arrangement of the K9N56 compound: it is of a complexity almost never observed for solids produced at such high pressures. We found that it is composed of a repeating arrangement of 520 atoms, 72 K and 448 N, and that the nitrogen atoms were assembled in three distinct type of units: N2 dimers, planar [N5]- rings, and planar [N6]4- rings. We could immediately see that the planar [N6]4- rings were fulfilling the basic requirements for aromaticity—namely Hückel’s rule—though further analysis of the experimental data and advanced calculations methods were required to verify it.
These computational analyses were performed by Dr Florian Trybel and his colleagues at Linköping University. The calculations corroborated the stability of the K9N56 compound and provided further insight establishing the aromaticity of the [N6]4- hexazine ring.
Next steps
This study, which is published in Nature Chemistry, brings to a close a more-than 40 years old quest for an aromatic hexazine unit. The demonstration of its existence will give materials scientists and chemists a clear target for its synthesis at normal pressure conditions. On account of its aromaticity, and thereby of its expected increased stability, the [N6]4- ring is a prime candidate for technological applications.
Image gallery
Congratulations to students who received medals, certificates, prizes and scholarships at the School’s Undergraduate and MSc Student Awards Ceremony.
Head of School, Prof Jim Dunlop announced the awards in recognition of excellent performance and achievements from undergraduate and MSc students during the last academic year.
Certificates & Medals
152 pre-honours students received Certificates of Merit for gaining excellent grades in their Physics and Mathematical Physics courses.
A total of 20 Class Medals were awarded to undergraduate students with the highest overall mark for their degree programme, and 3 Class Medals were awarded to MSc students who received the highest marks across their coursework and dissertation.
Prizes and Scholarships
17 Prizes and Scholarships were awarded to undergraduate students who achieved the highest results in their subject area, and the summer poster scholarship was awarded to the student who produced the best poster based on their research undertaken as part of the School’s Career Development Summer scheme.
Many congratulations to all recipients.
Image gallery
Results show what happened to the spacecraft and asteroid following NASA’s asteroid deflection mission.
On 26 September 2022 NASA deliberately crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid, as the first ever experimental test of ‘planetary defence’ technology. The aim of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission was to change the trajectory of a harmless asteroid, to prove that we could do so in case we ever find one heading towards Earth. The first scientific results from this mission have now been published by the journal Nature. These include a collection of papers which describe what happened to the spacecraft and asteroid, what was seen by the small ‘LICIACube’ satellite that accompanied DART to witness the collision, and what was seen from Earth by astronomers using telescopes. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Astronomy were part of the team that observed the impact, using telescopes in Chile and in Kenya, and the Hubble Space Telescope.
Dr Agata Rożek, Prof Colin Snodgrass, and Dr Mariangela Bonavita worked on observations of the system before and after impact using the 1.54m Danish telescope at the La Silla observatory in Chile. The paper led by Dr Cristina Thomas, of Northern Arizona University, combines these measurements with others from telescopes elsewhere in Chile and the USA to show that the impact shortened the orbital period of the asteroid system by 33 min, well in excess of the minimum goal of the mission.
Prof Colin Snodgrass, Brian Murphy, and Dr Cyrielle Opitom were part of a study of the cloud of debris produced after the impact, as observed by the Hubble Space Telescope. The study, led by Dr Jian-Yang Li of the Planetary Science Institute, used observations of the debris in the hours and days following the impact to estimate the size and amount of particles ejected by the impact, and how their interaction with the binary asteroid system led to the formation of the complicated looking ‘tail’.
This first wave of scientific papers show that the DART mission was highly successful, and also give us glimpses of the rich variety of new information about asteroids that will come from further analysis of the data. In the coming months more detailed studies will look at different aspects of the physics of the collision, what we saw at the moment of impact, and the longer term evolution of the comet-like tail that was created. These will include studies led by Edinburgh astronomers using the world-leading Very Large Telescope in Chile, and results from Edinburgh’s own unique contribution to the project: a small observatory set up at a remote site in Kenya, which was positioned there to have a direct view of the collision.
Prof Colin Snodgrass from the Institute for Astronomy commented:
The impact of the DART spacecraft on asteroid Dimorphos lasted only a fraction of a second but the impact this will have on the study of asteroids will be felt for years. There are many more exciting results to come.
Further information about the project
The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory built and operated the DART spacecraft and manages the DART mission for NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office as a project of the agency’s Planetary Missions Program Office. LICIACube is a project of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), carried out by Argotec.
Neither Dimorphos nor Didymos poses any hazard to Earth before or after DART’s controlled collision with Dimorphos.
Image gallery
Find out more about the School of Physics and Astronomy MSc programmes.
The School of Physics and Astronomy Virtual Information Sessions will consist of presentations and Q&A sessions on the following days:
• Thursday 30th March: Introduction to MSc MSc Astrobiology and Planetary Sciences, 11:00-12:00
• Thursday 30th March: Introduction to MSc Particle and Nuclear Physics, 13:00-14:00
• Thursday 30th March: Introduction to MSc Mathematical Physics and MSc Theoretical Physics, 14:30-15:30
Come along to find out more about programme structure and courses, and meet MSc Directors. To book a place please complete our Booking Form.
Please note: these sessions will take place in British Summer Time (BST)
Congratulations to Jim Dunlop, Head of School and Professor of Extragalactic Astronomy, who has been awarded a Royal Society Research Professorship.
The Royal Society Research Professorships are the Society's premier research awards, providing long term support to world-class researchers of outstanding achievement to focus on ambitious and original research of the highest quality.
Head of the School of Physics and Astronomy, Professor James Dunlop is based in the Institute for Astronomy. Over the next 5-10 years, his research aims to use the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and the Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA), to discover and study the first galaxies which were forming and growing in the first billion years of the universe. This could reveal ‘first light' and chart the formation of the elements required for life on Earth.
Congratulations to Ross Galloway who has been awarded the 2022 Chancellor’s Teaching Award.
Chancellor’s Awards
The Chancellor’s Awards are one of the most important ways in which the University recognises current members of the University community who have made outstanding contributions to teaching or research and achieved national and international recognition for their work.
The Teaching Award honours a colleague who has recently enhanced the teaching reputation of the University, through a significant contribution to improving or invigorating student learning.
Dr Ross Galloway is a recipient of this award in recognition of his exemplary leadership across all aspects of teaching in the School of Physics and Astronomy, and for providing much needed reassurance to students and staff particularly during the recent turbulent times.
Teaching contribution
Dr Ross Galloway has served as the Director of Teaching at the School of Physics and Astronomy since 2019 and has worked to help the School navigate into online delivery during the pandemic, and also to return to on-campus teaching, while retaining those new approaches and innovations that were found to be effective during the period of hybrid teaching. He has a focus on interactive engagement methods to help promote conceptual understanding and problem solving skills.
I feel very pleased and honoured to receive this award for my teaching, which has been one contribution to a great team effort from all the academic, postgraduate, and professional services staff. I hope it will help to promote some of the research-based approaches which have led to improved student learning here in the School of Physics and Astronomy.
The School of Physics and Astronomy is delighted to welcome Stephen Roe as our Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence.
Stephen will share his science-based business experience to help colleagues explore applications of their research, develop links between researchers and business, and foster an entrepreneurial culture.
Stephen is a University of Edinburgh physics graduate who has applied his scientific background and business skills to solve a range of complex business problems.
He has worked in a number of industries and sectors including aerospace, computers, medical devices, food and drink, power generation and precision optics, by applying leadership, problem solving and technology management skills to help businesses start and evolve.
The Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence scheme aims to increase the knowledge and awareness in UK universities of cutting edge industrial science, research and innovation.
Stephen commented:
This appointment funded by the Royal Society is very exciting for me being able to help the University where I graduated in Physics some years ago. It provides me with the opportunity to use my many years’ experience in working with science-based businesses and applying it to help my new colleagues in the School of Physics and Astronomy. I plan to build on the excellent work my predecessor, Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne, has done over the past three years. It is an honour to be working with both The Royal Society and the University of Edinburgh.
Professor Jim Dunlop, Head of School of Physics and Astronomy said:
I am extremely pleased to welcome Stephen to the School, as our second Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence, following Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne (who remains closely involved in the work of the School through her consultancy). Stephen's background is rather different from Lucinda's and I anticipate he will help us to grow and further broaden our knowledge exchange and engagement with industry, building on the Impact we reported in REF2021.
Congratulations to Professor Peacock who has received the Royal Astronomical Society’s highest honour for his contributions to cosmology.
The Royal Astronomical Society has announced the 2023 winners of its awards, medals and prizes in recognition of significant achievement, from research to education and outreach, in the fields of astronomy and geophysics.
The Society's highest honour, its Gold Medal in Astronomy, is awarded this year to Professor John Peacock of the University of Edinburgh, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to cosmology. His work ranges from studying the early abundance of galaxies with actively fuelled central supermassive black holes, to the formation of cosmological large-scale structure and its relation to the clustering of galaxies.
Many of Professor Peacock’s contributions have been made by combining insightful theoretical analysis with the results from observational programmes. The 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey, which he co-led, found the first convincing evidence for the influence of pressure on fluctuations in the density of ‘normal’ matter in the universe, arising in the early cosmos after the Big Bang. This work was recognised by the award of the 2014 Shaw Prize.
Alongside his major contributions to cosmology, Professor Peacock has mentored generations of students and postdocs, and written a cosmology textbook which shaped the field.
Past winners of the Gold Medal in Astronomy include Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble, Arthur Eddington and Stephen Hawking.
The Royal Astronomical Society was founded in 1820 and encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science.
The MSc in Astrobiology and Planetary Sciences is the UK’s first Masters in astrobiology. The programme builds on Edinburgh’s substantial and leading role in astrobiology, geobiology and planetary sciences, including cometary studies and exoplanet science.
Astrobiology and Planetary Sciences
Astrobiology and the planetary sciences are interdisciplinary subjects that build on physics, chemistry, biology and geosciences to answer fundamental questions. Astrobiologists seek to understand life in an astronomical context: how it forms, varies and evolves in concert with planets and stars, and how it is distributed across time and space. Planetary scientists investigate the origin, diversity and behaviour of planets, moons, rings, asteroids, comets, and solar systems. Together, these sciences offer a distinctive and mind-expanding perspective on our own place in the universe.
The MSc programme will provide graduates with an exciting foundation in the rapidly advancing interdisciplinary science of life in the universe while offering methodological training for further technical or academic work in the planetary, life, or space sciences.
Key programme features
The key features of the programme are:
- Full time programme, 12 months
- Taught components in astrobiology (theory and methods), planetary sciences, and a range of optional courses from environmental geochemistry to space law
- A research dissertation
Dr Sean McMahon, MSc Programme Director said:
It’s an incredibly exciting time to be working in these fields and we very much look forward to welcoming the next generation of astrobiologists and planetary scientists to Edinburgh to participate in our programme.
Image credit: Getty images 930523318 [gorodenkoff]