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The end of an (ice) age

Trevor Davis
Oregon Daily Emerald
Sat, 01 Dec 2007 15:54 UTC
A group of University scientists have proposed a controversial new theory about the end of the last ice age

For the record, they're not crazy.

But they do admit their theory is out there.

©Ryan Heidt
Two University researchers theorize that a comet may have hit North America about 13,000 years ago, causing an end to several species of animals near the end of the last ice age.
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Pharoah

UK: University of Leicester archaeologists unearth ancient curse


University of Leicester
Thu, 30 Nov 2006 14:52 UTC
1,700-year-old curse tablet to god Maglus invokes destruction of cloak-pilferer.

An ancient curse aimed at a thief is one of a number of treasures to be unveiled to the public for the first time, following the largest archaeological excavation the city of Leicester has ever seen.

Over the past three years, a team of up to 60 archaeologists from University of Leicester Archaeological Services has been working on a number of sites in the city. Almost 9% of Leicester's historic core has been subject to investigation in some form, giving new insights into the appearance and development of the Roman and medieval towns.

One of the most interesting finds from a site on Vine Street was a 'curse' tablet - a sheet of lead inscribed in the second or third century AD and intended to invoke the assistance of a chosen god. It has been translated by a specialist at Oxford University, and reads:

'To the god Maglus, I give the wrongdoer who stole the cloak of Servandus. Silvester, Riomandus (etc.) ... that he destroy him before the ninth day, the person who stole the cloak of Servandus...' Then follows a list of the names of 18 or 19 suspects. What happened to them is not recorded.

Before the discovery of this object, archaeologists only knew of the names of three or four of the inhabitants of Roman Leicester, so the find is of great significance.
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Document

UB research provides first scientific proof that handwriting is unique to each of us


University at Buffalo
Tue, 28 May 2002 14:45 UTC
U.S. federal court cites research, allows handwritten documents as evidence.

Computer scientists at the University at Buffalo have provided the first peer-reviewed scientific validation that each person's handwriting is individual, according to a paper that will be published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences in July.

The UB research was cited in an April 29th decision of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. That decision (U.S. v. Gricco) allows expert testimony concerning handwritten documents pertinent to the case to be presented.

Supported by a National Institute of Justice grant to develop computer-assisted handwriting-analysis tools for forensic applications, the results of the UB research could be significant for other court cases in which handwritten documents provide potentially relevant evidence.

Efforts to analyze handwriting in criminal or civil cases have involved obtaining samples of writing from potential suspects or witnesses and then comparing them with the handwriting in question. But several Supreme Court decisions, such as Daubert v. Merrell Dow, require that all expert testimony, including testimony about document examination, must meet scientifically rigorous criteria. Because few, if any, objective criteria have existed for handwriting analysis, testimony concerning handwritten documents often has not been admitted in testimony.
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Info

EU nations endorse standard system for mobile TV


Agence France-Presse
Sat, 01 Dec 2007 06:48 UTC
The rapid roll-out of television on mobile phones across Europe took a key step forward on Thursday with EU member states supporting an industry standard for the bloc.

©Unknown
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Display

Keep Track Of New Worlds: PlanetQuest 2.0


Space Daily
Sat, 01 Dec 2007 06:30 UTC
More than 260 planets have already been discovered orbiting other stars, and new ones are found almost every month. Having trouble keeping track? Help is on the way. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., has revamped its award-winning PlanetQuest website with improved tools to help users stay on top of the latest discoveries.

©NASA/JPL
Partial view of PlanetQuest's redesigned website.
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Star

Could Antimatter Be Powering Super-Luminous Supernovae?

Nicholos Wethington
Universe Today
Sat, 01 Dec 2007 06:29 UTC
Explosions are almost always cool, and supernovae are some of the most spectacular and violent explosions in the Universe. In 2006, the supernova SN 2006gy wowed scientists with a light show that was 10 times as luminous as the average supernova, challenging the traditional model of exactly how an exploding star creates a supernova. Astronomers suspect that the cause is the repeated production of antimatter in the core of the star.

©NASA
SN 2006gy and the core of it's home galaxy NGC 1260
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Info

Russia Conducts First Experiment In Preparation For Mars-500


RIA Novosti
Sat, 01 Dec 2007 06:13 UTC
Russian scientists have completed the first stage of preparations for an experimental Mars mission simulation, Mars-500, a medical research institute announced on Thursday. The purpose of the main experiment, expected to begin in late 2008, is to simulate a space flight to Mars taking into account all ramifications, including a 250-day "trip" to the Red Planet, a 30-day period on its surface, and a 240-day return flight.

©Unkown
Illustration only.
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Telescope

Lightning storms 'seen' on Venus

Fraser Cain
Universe Today
Sat, 01 Dec 2007 06:00 UTC
Venus is a hostile world, with high temperatures, intense pressures, and an atmosphere with sulphuric acid. The Russian spacecraft sent to explore it succumbed in mere hours. Well, now it appears that Venus is even more dangerous than previously imagined, with lightning flashing in the atmosphere.



©ESA
Artist impression of lightening storms on Venus

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Heart

The grand design: A spiral Universe

Fraser Cain
Universe Today
Sat, 01 Dec 2007 05:50 UTC
During many holidays, the folks working on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope try and find an image that captures the essence of the celebration. We've seen Christmas Tree clusters and spooky nebulae. To show their holiday spirit, the Hubble folks have released this beautiful image of the spiral galaxy M74. It's a stretch, I guess, but wow, what a picture.

©NASA
M74 galaxy as viewed by the Hubble telescope
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Attention

Bye Bye: Voyager 2 is about to cross the termination shock

Fraser Cain
Universe Today
Sat, 01 Dec 2007 05:40 UTC
NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft is about to cross another milestone on its long journey leaving the Solar System. According to researchers at the University of California, Riverside, the plucky spacecraft is about to pass through the "termination shock"; the point at which the Sun's solar wind slows down to subsonic speed.

©NASA/JPL
Artist impression of Voyager 2 at the edge of the solar system
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