NCBI ROFL: The strange case of the vampire burial
in Venice.

post from Discoblog » NCBI ROFL on 16 May 2012 07:00:58 PM. © Discoblog » NCBI ROFL

Forensic approach to an archaeological casework of “vampire” skeletal remains in Venice: odontological and anthropological prospectus.

“During the years 2006?2007, the Archeological Superintendent of Veneto (Italy) promoted a research project on mass graves located on Nuovo Lazzaretto in Venice, where the corpses of plague deaths were buried during the 16th and 17th centuries. The burials were of different stages and are believed to be the remains of plague victims from the numerous outbreaks of pestilence, which occurred between the 15th and 17th centuries. Among the fragmented and commingled human bones, an unusual burial was found. The body was laid supine, with the top half of the thorax intact, arms parallel to the rachis axis, the articulations were anatomically unaltered. Both the skull morphology and the dimensions of the caput omeris suggest the body was a woman. A brick of moderate size was found inside the oral cavity, keeping the mandible wide open. The data collected by the anthropologist were used to generate a taphonomic profile, which precluded the positioning of the brick being accidental. Likewise, the probability of the brick having come from the surrounding burial sediment was rejected, as the ...

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NcbiRofl/~3/UxRTcWwiiYY/

Digg this

Mayans End the World but Egyptians Give Us Data

post from Physics Buzz on 16 May 2012 06:15:42 PM. © Physics Buzz

The constellation Perseus and Algol, the Bright Star in the Gorgon's headJohannes Hevelius, Uranographia, 1690As I think everyone must know by this point, the Mayans seem to have predicted the end of the world on December 21st, 2012. Its an interesting thing to think about but there don't seem to be many people convinced enough by the prediction to be running around crossing off everything on their bucket list. Though it might be a good excuse to finally try bull riding. However, another ancient society gave us something more than a doomsday prediction, they gave us an invaluable data point in unraveling the mystery of eclipsing binary stars and how their mass changes over long periods of time.

An eclipsing binary system is made up to two stars that rotate around each other. On earth, it looks like any other star, but it twinkles in a very different, and periodic way. One star in the system is brighter than the other and when the dimmer star is the one in front we see the star as dark. But when the system turns and the brighter star is in front, we see it as brighter. Its possible to measure the period of rotation by watching how the system twinkles. The ancient Egyptians thought this dimming and brightening could predict if the day would be good or bad so they very meticulously recorded its period. Research by Jetsu et al suggests that the Egyptians not only measured the period of one of the most famous eclipsing binary systems, Algol, also called the Demon Star, but found it to be ever so slightly different than the system's period today. This ancient data point is extremely valuable to astronomers who are rarely able to take data on such a time scale.

The ancient Egyptians were amazing astronomers. They charted the movement of a vast number of stars, planets and moons and recorded them in intricate calendars. The best preserved of these is the Cairo Calendar dated to 1271-1163 B.C. Archeologist working with astronomers were able to determine which heavenly bodies' movements were being cataloged. One period was giving them all a bit of trouble. It was clear that something bright and visible to the naked eye was changing with a period of 2.85 days but there was nothing in modern day astronomy that had that as its period. However, Algol came close with a period of 2.867 days. That may not seem like a large difference, but if astronomers today and those of 3000 years ago were indeed measuring the same thing, the period shouldn't differ by even this small amount. The Egyptians had proven themselves to be much better observers than that.

Algol, better known as the Demon Star, appears in the constellation Perseus as the eye of the Medusa's head. Though on earth it looks like a star that gets brighter and dimmer with a period of 2.867 days, it is actually two stars rotating around each other with their orbit affected by a distant third star. The more massive Algol A is about 4.5 times more massive than Algol B and 2 times more massive than the very distant Algol C.

In these type of systems it has been theorized that "mass transfer" may occur. The mass of one star is transferred to the other and consequently the period of rotation is changed. But the mass isn't transferred quickly. Since this system was first measured in 1783 there hasn't been enough mass transfer to measurably change the period. But, over 3000 years the stars' masses may have changed enough to notice a difference. The discrepancy between the Egyptian's data and modern data is just the right amount to be explained by mass transfer. Without this ancient data, it wouldn't be possible to measure this. Though only a difference of 25 min over 3000 years this new period data point, found by archeologists and explained by astronomers adds a new level of understanding to eclipsing binary star systems.

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/physicscentral/PhysicsBuzz/~3/DbMvjfrvOZA/mayans-e
nd-world-but-egyptians-give-us.html

Digg this

SpaceX Dragon flight to ISS draws near

post from Planetary Society Blog on 16 May 2012 05:40:29 PM. © Planetary Society Blog

SpaceX and NASA have completed a successful flight readiness review (FRR) for the Dragon's upcoming visit to the International Space Station.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/guest-blogs/jason-davis/3457.html

Digg this

[mos-ak] MOS-AK/GSA Dresden workshop on-line
publications

post from Sedemos News on 16 May 2012 05:15:33 PM. © Sedemos News

MOS-AK/GSA Dresden workshop on-line publications are available, visit: http://www.mos-ak.org/dresden/
The MOS-AK/GSA Modeling Working Group, a global compact modeling standardization forum, held its annual spring workshop on April 26-27, 2012 at the Design Automation Division EAS of the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS in Dresden, Germany. More than 50 international academic researchers and modeling engineers attended four sessions to hear 16 technical compact modeling talks and poster presentations. The MOS-AK/GSA Modeling Working Group organized the event supported by Joachim Haase Fraunhofer IIS/EAS in Dresden, and a complementary X-FAB clean room visit, poster session and open networking event was hosted by Alexander Petr, X-FAB in Dresden.
As a result of an unfolded compact modeling discussion, the MOS-AK Group followed recommendation of Alexander Petr, X-FAB, a member of the Extended MOS-AK/GSA Compact Modeling Committee, to create a compact modeling open directory (CMOD:http://mos-ak.org/open_dir/). The directory will list available SPICE/Compact models including Verilog-A models for an extensive range of the semiconductor devices. The MOS-AK/GSA Group believes that the CMOD initiative will also stimulate further compact model developments for inter domain technologies and multidisciplinary applications.
The MOS-AK/GSA Dresden Press Note can be found here: http://www.gsaglobal.org/news/article.asp?article=2012/0507and selected workshop photos are here:http://mos-ak.org/dresden/photos.php
I hope, we would have a next chance to meet us with your academic and industrial partners at future MOS-AK/GSA modeling events (check the list below).
- with regards - WG (for the MOS-AK/GSA Committee) ??????????????????????????????????---------------- MIXDES Special Modeling Sesion Warsaw (PL) May 24-26, 2012COMON Tranining Course Tarragona (SP) June 28-19, 2012 MOS-AK/GSA Bordeaux (F) Sept.21, 2012 MOS-AK/GSA San Francisco, CA Q4 2012 ??????????????????????????????????----------------

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "mos-ak" group.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/mos-ak/-/sbMfjw_abyEJ.
To post to this group, send email to mos-ak@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to mos-ak+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/mos-ak?hl=en.

Read The Full Article:
http://sedemos.blogspot.com/2012/05/mos-ak-mos-akgsa-dresden-workshop-on.html

Digg this

Distrust of atheists is reduced if people have
confidence in law and order

post from Epiphenom on 16 May 2012 05:15:00 PM. © Epiphenom

If you read this blog regularly, you'll have come across work by Will Gervais and Ara Norenzayan, at the University of British Columbia in Canada. Previously, they've shown that atheists in North America are are disliked because they are distrusted, and that untrustworthy people are often assumed to be atheists.

Why the distrust? Well, it's partly because they are an unknown quantity - many Americans never come across an open atheists - but also partly because people who think they are being watched at least claim to be trustworthy. Probably they think that other people will be trustworthy too, if they think they are being watched by a supernatural agent.

In new research, they've shown that the distrust that religious people have of atheists can at least partly be eased by subtly persuading them that the police are effective in stopping crime.

For example, in the study shown in the graphic, they showed students a video about police effectiveness and then, in a follow up survey, asked how distrustful they were of atheists and whether they disliked gays, Muslims or Jews. After they watched the video, their distrust of atheists dropped away.

Their prejudice towards other didn't change, however. In other studies, they also showed that distrust of gays was also not improved by this kind of manipulation, suggesting that it was specifically distrust of atheists that was being affected.

So this suggests that while religious people think that belief in god makes a person trustworthy, they're also open to the idea that secular authorities can also be a source of order and safety.

This puts me in mind of some other research by Aaron Kay and colleagues at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. They showed that, by pumping up belief that the government is in control, the desire to believe in a controlling god is weakened.

All more good evidence that one important factor that draws people to belief in God is fear and anxiety, and that stable social systems that are common in wealthy countries are contributing to the increasing numbers of non-believers.

Gervais, W., & Norenzayan, A. (2012). Reminders of Secular Authority Reduce Believers' Distrust of Atheists Psychological Science, 23 (5), 483-491 DOI: 10.1177/0956797611429711

This article by Tom Rees was first published on Epiphenom. It is licensed under Creative Commons.

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BhaScienceGroup/~3/YwugZov3ghc/distrust-of-atheist
s-is-reduced-if.html

Digg this

Kodak's Nuclear "Reactor" Explained

post from Physics Buzz on 16 May 2012 04:15:55 PM. © Physics Buzz

Correction: This blog post originally stated that Kodak's nuclear device was a reactor as was widely reported. This is not the case. The device increased the output of neutrons from a radioactive source, but there was not enough material to initiate a chain reaction. The post has been edited to reflect this.

This week, the Internet has been buzzing with news that Kodak had a nuclear facility housed in a basement at its Rochester, NY industrial park for over thirty years. Until 2007, Kodak used the device to check for impurities in samples, but the device wasn't widely known until the local Democrat and Chronicle newspaper ran an article late last week. Many have questioned why the company known for its photography products would need a nuclear device, and some alarmist articles have surfaced.

Gizmodo, for instance, began their article with extreme hyperbole while noting Kodak's recent bankruptcy:

"Kodak may be going under, but apparently they could have started their own nuclear war if they wanted, just six years ago."

Actually, Kodak didn't even have enough nuclear fuel to develop a single warhead. Refrigerator-sized nuclear devices like the one found in Kodak's basement have key differences with nuclear reactors found at power plants, and Kodak certainly couldn't have ignited World War III alone. In fact, the device and similar research reactors can be found on several university campuses, and they are operated under strict guidelines without any nefarious intentions.

Researchers working at Kodak wanted to detect very small impurities in chemicals and impurities, and Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) proved to be one of the best techniques to find these impurities. During NAA, samples are bombarded with neutrons, and elemental isotopes from the sample will absorb a small fraction of these neutrons.

Many of these stable elemental isotopes will become radioactive after gaining a new neutron; consequently, they will emit gamma rays. With the right equipment, researchers can measure the precise energy levels of this radiation and narrow down which elements are in the sample.

"For some elements, this is an exquisitely sensitive test," said Ken Shultis, a nuclear engineer at Kansas State University who works on the university's nuclear research reactor. "To do this [test], you need a source of neutrons."

For Kodak, that source was an isotope of Californium, a radioactive element first synthesized in 1950 with a cyclotron at the University of California Berkeley. Californium-252, the element's most common isotope, was initially used at Kodak as a neutron source by itself.

"Californium-252 is a poor man's reactor," said Shultis.

While a sample of this isotope will shed neutrons by itself, Kodak wanted more neutrons to increase the sensitivity of their analyses. That's where a small nuclear facility could help. The researchers could either collect a larger sample of Californium or use uranium plates to multiply the neutron flow from the source they already had. They opted for the uranium route.

With 3.5 pounds of uranium on-site, Kodak had far less than the roughly 100 pounds needed to develop a weapon. Strict security precautions were still taken, nonetheless.

But the device Kodak had and research reactors at universities don't pose the same safety risks as bigger nuclear reactors at power plants. Power plants produce much more fission products, and they require much more extensive cooling systems, according to Shultis.

"It's inherently much safer. There's no chance of a meltdown in our research reactors," Shultis said.

Radioactive materials used at research reactors still pose potential risks, according to Shultis. Consequently, researchers take great care when dealing with their samples. If samples become too radioactive, for instance, they can be left in the reactor pool until they decay enough to be safe.

Reactors like the one at Kansas State University and the decommissioned instrument at Kodak must meet strict guidelines determined by federal regulators. I wonder if those regulators were surprised when a photography company approached them many years ago with plans to use highly enriched uranium. It certainly caught many people by surprise this week.

Top image of Idaho National Laboratory's Advanced Test Reactor courtesy of Argonne National Laboratory.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you want to keep up with Hyperspace, AKA Brian, you can follow him on Twitter.

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/physicscentral/PhysicsBuzz/~3/Zeiy4CSY148/kodaks-n
uclear-reactor-explained.html

Digg this

Science Getaways: T- 4 months

post from Bad Astronomy on 16 May 2012 03:34:03 PM. © Bad Astronomy

Science Getaways is a company my wife and I started so that science enthusiasts (and you better face it, since you’re reading this, that’s you) can go on a vacation that has extra science added. For me, science isn’t a career or a hobby[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BadAstronomyBlog/~3/AUxQfImuGrM/

Digg this

"Hey Bud, Let's Party!" (Surfing
Science)

More than any other sport, surfing shares a particular symbiotic relationship with Mother Nature. It's the only sport that is impossible to artificially replicate. (For the record, Japan's Seagaia Ocean Dome-the largest indoor wave pool ever-- closed in 2007. It was a rare instance of a surfable

Read The Full Article:
http://cr4.globalspec.com/blogentry/19898/Hey-Bud-Let-s-Party-Surfing-Science?fro
m_rss=1

Digg this

Bio-Rad gets thumbs-up from 30,000 scientists

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.?s Trans-Blot® Turbo? protein transfer system was awarded the Scientists? Choice Award for Best New Life Science Product of 2011. The awards, presented by SelectScience, an online publication for life scientists, celebrate the latest laboratory equipment making a difference in labs. Honorees were chosen by SelectScience?s members in the research community. More than [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://cbt20.wordpress.com/2012/05/16/selectscience-trans-blot-turbo/

Digg this

Bio-Rad: Educating the next generation

Several years ago, Bio-Rad Laboratories released the highly successful music video “The PCR[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.americanbiotechnologist.com/blog/biorad-educating-generation/

Digg this