This note is on spherical classes in $H_*(QS^0;k)$ when $k=\mathbb{Z}, \mathbb{Z}/p$, with a special focus on the case of p=2 related to the Curtis conjecture. We apply Freudenthal's theorem to prove a vanishing result for the unstable Hurewicz image of elements in ${\pi _*^s}$ that factor through certain finite spectra. After either p-localization or p-completion, this immediately implies that elements of well-known infinite families in ${_p\pi _*^s}$, such as Mahowaldean families, map trivially under the unstable Hurewicz homomorphism ${_p\pi _*^s}\simeq {_p\pi _*}QS^0\to H_*(QS^0;\mathbb{Z} /p)$. We also observe that the image of the submodule of decomposable elements under the integral unstable Hurewicz homomorphism $\pi _*^s\simeq \pi _*QS^0\to H_*(QS^0;\mathbb{Z} )$ is given by $\mathbb{Z} \{h(\eta ^2),h(\nu ^2),h(\sigma ^2)\}$. We apply the latter to completely determine spherical classes in $H_*(\Omega ^dS^{n+d};\mathbb{Z} /2)$ for certain values of n>0 and d>0; this verifies Eccles' conjecture on spherical classes in $H_*QS^n$, n>0, on finite loop spaces associated with spheres.

In this note we introduce and study a new class of maps called oriented colored broken submersions. This is the simplest class of maps that satisfies a version of the $b$–principle and in dimension 2 approximates the class of oriented submersions well in the sense that every oriented colored broken submersion of dimension 2 to a closed simply connected manifold is bordant to a submersion. We show that the Madsen–Weiss theorem (the standard Mumford Conjecture) fits a general setting of the $b$–principle, namely, a version of the $b$–principle for oriented colored broken submersions together with the Harer stability theorem and Miller–Morita theorem implies the Madsen–Weiss theorem.

In this paper a generalization of the interpretation of Robinson of torsion products as homotopy groups is given. This generalization allows us to define right derived functors of a coproduct preserving functor defined on a small category with all finite colimits to the category of abelian groups. We show that when the category is additive the definition coincides with the definitions of the right derived functors of Cartan and Eilenberg.