Images obtained by the Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System (OSIRIS) cameras onboard the Rosetta spacecraft reveal that asteroid 21 Lutetia has a complex geology and one of the highest asteroid densities measured so far, 3.4 ± 0.3 grams per cubic centimeter. The north pole region is covered by a thick layer of regolith, which is seen to flow in major landslides associated with albedo variation. Its geologically complex surface, ancient surface age, and high density suggest that Lutetia is most likely a primordial planetesimal. This contrasts with smaller asteroids visited by previous spacecraft, which are probably shattered bodies, fragments of larger parents, or reaccumulated rubble piles.

Objectives: To evaluate the intensity of oxidative stress in normal pregnancy and in pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia. To investigate a possible correlation between the intensity of oxidative stress, severity of preeclampsia and the fetal status at birth. Materials and methods: A retrospective transversal study was performed in three groups of 80 patients each: Group I-preeclampsia; Group II-normal pregnancy; Group III-control (non-pregnant patients). Degradation products of reactive oxygen species (lipid peroxides and protein carbonyls) and some antioxidants (hydrogen donor capacity and ceruloplasmin) were determined in the serum of patients. The data obtained were processed by descriptive and comparative statistical methods. Results: A moderate level of oxidative stress was found in normal pregnancy. We found statistically significant differences between the control group and the normal pregnancy group (p < 0.000). In preeclampsia, oxidative stress increases. Statistically significant differences were found in the evaluated parameters between the normal pregnancy group and the preeclampsia group (p < 0.000). There were no correlations between the intensity of oxidative stress, severity of preeclampsia and the fetal status at birth in the group with preeclampsia. Conclusion: Oxidative stress in preeclampsia is the result of the increase in reactive oxygen species and of the decrease in antioxidants.

The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission encountered the main-belt asteroid (2867) Steins while on its way to rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Images taken with the OSIRIS (optical, spectroscopic, and infrared remote()imaging system) cameras on board Rosetta show that Steins is an oblate body with an effective spherical diameter of 5.3 kilometers. Its surface does not show color variations. The morphology of Steins is dominated by linear faults and a large 2.1-kilometer-diameter crater near its south pole. Crater counts reveal a distinct lack of small craters. Steins is not solid rock but a rubble pile and has a conical appearance that is probably the result of reshaping due to Yarkovsky-O'Keefe-Radzievskii-Paddack (YORP) spin-up. The OSIRIS images constitute direct evidence for the YORP effect on a main-belt asteroid.