Discovering transiting exoplanets with relatively long orbital periods (>10 d) is crucial to facilitate the study of cool exoplanet atmospheres (T-eq < 700 K) and to understand exoplanet formation and inward migration further out than typical transiting exoplanets. In order to discover these longer period transiting exoplanets, long-term photometric, and radial velocity campaigns are required. We report the discovery of TOI-2447 b (=NGTS-29 b), a Saturn-mass transiting exoplanet orbiting a bright (T = 10.0) Solar-type star (T-eff = 5730 K). TOI-2447 b was identified as a transiting exoplanet candidate from a single transit event of 1.3 per cent depth and 7.29 h duration in TESS Sector 31 and a prior transit event from 2017 in NGTS data. Four further transit events were observed with NGTS photometry which revealed an orbital period of P = 69.34 d. The transit events establish a radius for TOI-2447 b of 0.865 +/- 0.010 R-J, while radial velocity measurements give a mass of 0.386 +/- 0.025 M-J. The equilibrium temperature of the planet is 414 K, making it much cooler than the majority of TESS planet discoveries. We also detect a transit signal in NGTS data not caused by TOI-2447 b, along with transit timing variations and evidence for a similar to 150 d signal in radial velocity measurements. It is likely that the system hosts additional planets, but further photometry and radial velocity campaigns will be needed to determine their parameters with confidence. TOI-2447 b/NGTS-29 b joins a small but growing population of cool giants that will provide crucial insights into giant planet composition and formation mechanisms.

The flux ratios of gravitationally lensed quasars provide a powerful probe of the nature of dark matter. Importantly, these ratios are sensitive to small-scale structure, irrespective of the presence of baryons. This sensitivity may allow us to study the halo mass function even below the scales where galaxies form observable stars. For accurate measurements, it is essential that the quasar's light is emitted from a physical region of the quasar with an angular scale of milliarcseconds or larger; this minimizes microlensing effects by stars within the deflector. The warm dust region of quasars fits this criterion, as it has parsec-size physical scales and dominates the spectral energy distribution of quasars at wavelengths greater than 10 mu m. The JWST Mid-Infrared Instrument is adept at detecting redshifted light in this wavelength range, offering both the spatial resolution and sensitivity required for accurate gravitational lensing flux ratio measurements. Here, we introduce our survey designed to measure the warm dust flux ratios of 31 lensed quasars. We discuss the flux-ratio measurement technique and present results for the first target, DES J0405-3308. We find that we can measure the quasar warm dust flux ratios with 3 per cent precision. Our simulations suggest that this precision makes it feasible to detect the presence of 10(7) M-circle dot dark matter haloes at cosmological distances. Such haloes are expected to be completely dark in cold dark matter models.

Photomorphogenesis is a light-dependent plant growth and development program. As the core regulator of photomorphogenesis, ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5) is affected by dynamic changes in its transcriptional activity and protein stability; however, little is known about the mediators of these processes. Here, we identified PHOTOREGULATORY PROTEIN KINASE 1 (PPK1), which interacts with and phosphorylates HY5 in Arabidopsis, as one such mediator. The phosphorylation of HY5 by PPK1 is essential to establish high-affinity binding with B-BOX PROTEIN 24 (BBX24) and CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC 1 (COP1), which inhibit the transcriptional activity and promote the degradation of HY5, respectively. As such, PPKs regulate not only the binding of HY5 to its target genes under light conditions but also HY5 degradation when plants are transferred from light to dark. Our data identify a PPK-mediated phospho-code on HY5 that integrates the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of HY5 to precisely control plant photomorphogenesis.

We present here an investigation of Ryugu particles recovered by the Hayabusa2 space mission and their extracted carbonaceous acid residues using Raman spectroscopy. Raman parameters of Ryugu intact grains and their acid residues are characterized by broad D (defect induced) and G (graphite) band widths, indicating the presence of polyaromatic carbonaceous matter with low thermal maturity. Raman spectra of Ryugu particles and CI (type 1) chondrites exhibit stronger laser-induced fluorescence backgrounds compared to Type 2 and Type 3 carbonaceous chondrites. The high fluorescence signatures and wide bandwidths of the D and G bands of Ryugu intact grains are similar to the Raman spectra observed in CI chondrites, reflecting the low structural order of their aromatic carbonaceous matter, and strengthening the link between Ryugu particles and CI chondrites. The high fluorescence background intensity of the Ryugu particles is due to multiple causes, but it is likely that the relative abundance of geometry-bearing macromolecular organic matter in total organic carbon contents makes a large contribution to the fluorescence intensities. Locally observed high fluorescence in the acid-extracted residues of Ryugu is due to nitrogen-bearing outlier phase. The high fluorescence signature is one consequence of the low degree of thermal maturity of the organic matter and supports evidence that the Ryugu particles have escaped significant parent body thermal metamorphism.

Mars has been exposed to ionizing radiation for several billion years, and as part of the search for life on the Red Planet, it is crucial to understand the impact of radiation on biosignature preservation. Several NASA and ESA missions are looking for evidence of ancient life in samples collected at depths shallow enough that they have been impacted by galactic cosmic rays (GCRs). In this study, we exposed a diverse set of Mars analog samples to 0.9 Megagray (MGy) of gamma radiation to mimic 15 million years of exposure on the Martian surface. We measured no significant impact of GCRs on the total organic carbon (TOC) and bulk stable C isotopes in samples with initial TOC concentration > 0.1 wt. %; however, diagnostic molecular biosignatures presented a wide range of degradation that didn't correlate to factors like mineralogy, TOC, water content, and surface area. Exposure dating suggests that the surface of Gale crater has been irradiated at more than five times our dose, yet using this relatively low dose and "best-case scenario" geologically recalcitrant biomarkers, large and variable losses were nevertheless evident. Our results empasize the importance of selecting sampling sites at depth or recently exposed at the Martian surface.

We present an eigenfunction method to analyze 161 visual light curves (LCs) of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) obtained by the Carnegie Supernova Project to characterize their diversity and host-galaxy correlations. The eigenfunctions are based on the delayed-detonation (DD) scenario using three parameters: the LC stretch s determined by the amount of deflagration burning governing the 56Ni production, the main-sequence mass M MS of the progenitor white dwarf controlling the explosion energy, and its central density rho c shifting the 56Ni distribution. Our analysis tool (Supernova Parameter Analysis Tool) extracts the parameters from observations and projects them into physical space using their allowed ranges (M MS <= 8 M circle dot, rho c <= 7-8 x 109 g cm-3). The residuals between fits and individual LC points are approximate to 1%-3% for approximate to 92% of objects. We find two distinct M MS groups corresponding to a fast (approximate to 4-65 Myr) and a slow(approximate to 200-500 Myr) stellar evolution. Most underluminous SNe Ia have hosts with low star formation but high M MS, suggesting slow evolution times of the progenitor system. 91T-like SNe show very similar LCs and high M MS and are correlated to star formation regions, making them potentially important tracers of star formation in the early Universe out to z approximate to 4-11. Some similar to 6% outliers with nonphysical parameters using DD scenarios can be attributed to superluminous SNe Ia and subluminous SNe Ia with hosts of active star formation. For deciphering the SNe Ia diversity and high-precision SNe Ia cosmology, the importance is shown for LCs covering out to approximate to 60 days past maximum. Finally, our method and results are discussed within the framework of multiple explosion scenarios, and in light of upcoming surveys.

Kilonovae, one source of electromagnetic emission associated with neutron star mergers, are powered by the decay of radioactive isotopes in the neutron-rich merger ejecta. Models for kilonova emission consistent with the electromagnetic counterpart to GW170817 predict characteristic abundance patterns, determined by the relative balance of different types of material in the outflow. Assuming that the observed source is prototypical, this inferred abundance pattern in turn must match r-process abundances deduced by other means, such as what is observed in the solar system. We report on analysis comparing the input mass-weighted elemental compositions adopted in our radiative transfer simulations to the mass fractions of elements in the Sun, as a practical prototype for the potentially universal abundance signature from neutron star mergers. We characterize the extent to which our parameter inference results depend on our assumed composition for the dynamical and wind ejecta and examine how the new results compare to previous work. We find that a dynamical ejecta composition calculated using the FRDM2012 nuclear mass and FRLDM fission models with extremely neutron-rich ejecta (Y-e = 0.035) along with moderately neutron-rich (Y-e = 0.27) wind ejecta composition yields a wind-to-dynamical mass ratio of M-w/M-d = 0.47, which best matches the observed AT2017gfo kilonova light curves while also producing the best-matching abundance of neutron capture elements in the solar system, though, allowing for systematics, the ratio may be as high as of order unity.

While it is now known that the mergers of double neutron star binary systems (NSMs) are copious producers of heavy elements, there remains much speculation about whether they are the sole or even principal site of rapid neutron-capture (r-process) nucleosynthesis, one of the primary ways in which heavy elements are produced. The occurrence rates, delay times, and galactic environments of NSMs hold sway over estimating their total contribution to the elemental abundances in the solar system and the Galaxy. Furthermore, the expected elemental yields of NSMs may depend on the merger parameters themselves-such as their stellar masses and radii-which are not currently considered in many galactic chemical evolution models. Using the characteristics of the observed sample of double neutron star (DNS) systems in the Milky Way as a guide, we predict the expected nucleosynthetic yields that a population of DNSs would produce upon merger, and we compare that nucleosynthetic signature to the heavy-element abundance pattern of solar system elements. We find that with our current models, the present DNS population favors the production of lighter r-process elements, while underproducing the heaviest elements relative to the solar system. This inconsistency could imply an additional site for the heaviest elements or a population of DNSs much different from that observed today.