Hi. I just saw the following in article summaries
from Nature. The actual article is behind a paywall,
but this seems interesting.
---David
Editor's Summary
12 November 2009 In search of solar lithium
Stars similar to the Sun in age, mass and composition show a wide
range of lithium abundances, which is hard to explain. The surface
lithium abundance of the Sun itself is 140 times less than the
primordial Solar System value, yet the Sun's surface convective zone
is thought not to extend far enough into the interior to reach
regions where lithium can get hot enough to be burned. A new survey
of Sun-like stars with and without detected planets now suggests that
the planets may hold the key to the Sun's missing lithium. The stars
with planets have less than 1% of the primordial lithium abundance,
whereas those with no detected planets range more widely, with half
of them having about 10% of primordial abundance. It is possible that
the presence of protoplanets increases mixing in the stellar disk so
that lithium reaches interior regions where the temperatures are
sufficient to destroy it.
(And as far as flying flags at half mast, New York
does it constantly. Well, whenever a soldier from
the state dies in Iraq or Afghanistan. So
pretty much constantly. : ( )
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