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The Extra-Early Edition

Jan 16, 2007

In this month's issue of the Journal of Mass Spectrometry, John F. J. Todd and colleagues describe the development of an ion trap for a miniature GC/MS system for space. The system is designed for isotope ratio analysis that will be conducted over the course of the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission to launch a probe to study a comet's nucleus. According to the ESA web site, the Rosetta spacecraft -- "on which all subsystems and payload equipment are mounted" -- is scheduled to meet up with the Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet in May 2014.

Breaking News
The Scan

Pig Organ Transplants Considered

The Wall Street Journal reports that the US Food and Drug Administration may soon allow clinical trials that involve transplanting pig organs into humans.

'Poo-Bank' Proposal

Harvard Medical School researchers suggest people should bank stool samples when they are young to transplant when they later develop age-related diseases.

Spurred to Develop Again

New Scientist reports that researchers may have uncovered why about 60 percent of in vitro fertilization embryos stop developing.

Science Papers Examine Breast Milk Cell Populations, Cerebral Cortex Cellular Diversity, Micronesia Population History

In Science this week: unique cell populations found within breast milk, 100 transcriptionally distinct cell populations uncovered in the cerebral cortex, and more.