The international symposium "Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy: Building Bridges between Cultures" will take place between 5 - 9 January, 2011.

The main conference will take place at Centro Cultural Peruano Britanico, Miraflores.

More details are avialable here.

The Oxford symposia are supported by the International Society for Archaeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture (ISAAC).

Archaeoastronomy is an interdisciplinary field of research that include astronomy, anthropology, archaeology, history, museum studies, surveying, statistics, and the history of religions as well as the history of science and astronomy.

Researchers used a photographic system called PhotoFace, developed by experts at the University of the West of England in Bristol, to scan the 3D shape of volunteers' noses and used computer software to analyse them according to six main nose shapes: Roman, Greek, Nubian, Hawk, Snub and Turn-up.

They used only three characteristics in their analysis: the ridge profile, the nose tip, and section between the eyes at the top of the nose. Then they combined the information and used it to distinguish between a database of 36 people.

"Noses, however, are much easier to photograph and are harder to conceal, so a system that recognises noses would work better with an uncooperative subject or for covert surveillance" Dr Adrian Evans, who led the study at the University of Bath, said in the news release.

"We've only tried this on a small sample of people, but the technique certainly shows potential, perhaps to be used in combination with other identification techniques," he added.

More info is available here.

The researchers' primary goal was to try to hear information that their eyes might have missed in solar wind speed and particle density data gathered by NASA's Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) satellite.

"What makes this project different is the level of artistic license I was given," composer and recent U-M School of Music alumnus Robert Alexander said in a U-M news release.

"Every piece of scientific data tells a story. I'm expressing this story through music," he added.

While the researchers didn't detect new information in this initial experiment, they see possibilities. "I am excited for sonification's potential in research, but I think more work will need to be done to realize that potential," said Jim Raines, research computer specialist with the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences.

Thomas Zurbuchen, an associate dean in engineering and an atmospheric science professor, was the man behind the sonification project.

"To me, this project exemplifies what U-M is about: creativity reaching seamlessly across many fields to create something new," professor Zurbuchen said.

More info about the subject is available on U-M website, here.

FETTU's webpage is available here.

The winner receives 3500 Euros, the first runner-up receives 1500 Euros, and the two second runners-ups each 750 Euros. The awards and certificates will be handed over in March during the Communicating Astronomy with the Public 2010 Conference, in Cape Town, South Africa. Kimberly Kowal Arcand, FETTU co-chair together with Megan Watzke, will give a keynote talk at the conference. FETTU, is led by the NASA Chandra X-ray Center in Cambridge, Mass., USA.

The International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) featured tens of thousands of events worldwide. These were organised and implemented by many professionals, amateurs and volunteers who built IYA2009 into the most successful science education and public outreach project ever undertaken. While it is impossible to acknowledge all the activities that have taken place in 2009 and all those who have made them possible, an IYA2009 Prize for Excellence in Astronomy Education and Public Outreach has been established to reward some of the most ambitious.

Thirty submissions were accepted from 21 countries and nine transnational organisations. After a very careful evaluation of all submissions, and much difficult deliberation, From Earth to the Universe was selected as the winner.

From Earth to the Universe showcases the incredible variety of astronomical images available today. The exhibit shows how astronomical objects look when viewed across the electromagnetic spectrum, from ultraviolet and visible light to infrared, X-rays and gamma rays.

FETTU continues to be shown in non-traditional public venues such as parks and gardens, shopping malls, metro stations and airports in major cities across the world.

FETTU images have been selected for their stunning beauty and ability to engage members of the general public who might normally ignore or avoid astronomy.

With short but informative captions on each panel, FETTU introduces the basics of the science behind each image, adding to and extending the visual impact.

The FETTU project, partly supported by NASA, involves more than 500 exhibits in more than 70 countries of the most beautiful and inspiring large-format astronomical images. The project is a grassroots initiative, which took an innovative approach, making all material freely available as an open source approach to education and public outreach.

FETTU has already exhibitions planed for 2010 in more than 30 countries.

"We are really pleased to award the prize to From Earth to the Universe, a project which has really captured the spirit of the contest and of IYA2009 as a whole." says Dr. Mani Bhaumik, the IYA2009 Patron.

Three additional projects from the very high quality field were selected as runners-up in the contest. The first is Around the World in 80 Telescopes, a 24-hour live webcast presenting observatories and astronomical research around the world, part of the global project, 100 Hours of Astronomy. The webcast featured eighty professional telescopes in seven continents and reached well over 110 000 viewers in 24 hours and many more are still watching online every day from all around the world.

The Galileoscope and Galileo Teacher Training Program shared the second runners-up prize, for their outstanding contributions to all aspects of education during IYA2009.
The Galileo Teacher Training Program helped more than 5000 educators in more than 40 countries improve their methods of teaching astronomy and bringing it to the classroom, while the Galileoscope project created a low-cost telescope kit that enabled children and adults worldwide to relive Galileo's sense of discovery. More than 180 000 of these have been produced and distributed to individuals, astronomy clubs, planetariums, science centres, museums, schools and other group.

"It was very difficult to select the winners as so many initiatives deserve acclaim for what they've done. All of the projects help contribute to the legacy of IYA2009 and its important mission of astronomy education and public outreach." says Ian Corbett, IAU General Secretary and member of the prize jury. "Those on our final list showed ambition and scope far above and beyond conventional science communication ventures, and this was an important factor in our decision."

Read more about the subject here.

"Learning nouns activates the left fusiform gyrus, while learning verbs switches on other regions", says Antoni Rodríguez-Fornells, co-author of the study and researcher at the Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit of the University of Barcelona, as it is stated in a news release of Plataforma SINC.

The Catalan researcher, along with psychologist Anna Mestres-Missé (the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany) and neurologist Thomas F. Münte (the Otto-von-Guericke University in Magdeburg, Germany) have published the results of their study confirming the neural differences in the map of the brain when a person learns new nouns and verbs.

More details here.

The image of NGC 346 that spans about 200 light-years was obtained using an instrument at the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at La Silla Observatory in Chile.

Images like this help astronomers chronicle star birth and evolution, while offering glimpses of how stellar development influences the appearance of the cosmic environment over time.

More info, including press release, images, and videos are available here.

The PhD thesis is entitled "Development of a new nanocompound material made of zirconia with coated carbon nanotubes, for orthopaedic applications".

According to the paper, carbon nanotubes were added to the zirconia matrix - a technique that greatly strengthens its resistance. The nanotubes were coated with nanoparticles of zirconia and, in order for this to be effected, the nanoparticles were heated beyond their boiling point.

Adding zirconia nanoparticles to the nanotubes facilitates the dispersion of the material and reduces its viscosity, apart from helping to increase its density for the next and last stage, the synterisation stage (this is a process, particularly used in ceramics, in order to transform the material from powder to a compact solid).

If the aim is to obtain the maximum possible density (98%), in order to start the composition, 1% of its volume must be of coated nanotubes. Finally, the material has to be synterised in argon for one hour at 1,300 degrees; not more nor less.

Much more details are available here.

Cross -country skiers are able to kick and glide because of the way the wax and the physical structure of the ski and its base interact with the snow. When the skier presses down on one ski during a kick, the wax and ski base grip the snow, enabling the skier to push off and glide on the other ski.

Felix Breitschädel, a PhD candidate at NTNU, who is in Vancouver with the Norwegian national team, says ski preparation specialists that travel with racing teams have developed a four-step process that helps them decide how the skis should be prepared and what will work best.

The steps are:

1) Different skis are tested on the track the day of the race to see what works best.

2) Once a ski itself has been chosen, the prep specialists go to work to create a micro structure on the ski base that will work in specific snow conditions. This structure is tested prior to the race.

3) Just a few hours before the race, the prep specialists have to test different waxes and wax combinations and wax the skis, which are then tested.

4) Just minutes before the race, the base of the ski is fine-tuned.

Much more info is available here.

Euclid would map the distribution of galaxies to reveal the underlying 'dark' architecture of the Universe.

The PLATO mission would address the frequency of planets around other stars, and would probe stellar interiors by detecting the gaseous waves rippling their surfaces.

Solar Orbiter would take the closest look at our Sun yet possible. It would deliver images and data that include views of the Sun's polar regions and the solar far side when it is not visible from Earth.

Details are available here.

Experts examined a test group of 32 experienced and less experienced drivers. Using a driving stimulator that was specifically developed for the study, the test persons first watched a stimulation of a vehicle driving along a course with bends and obstacles over and over again for six minutes. In a different room, the test persons then drove along the virtual course until they became as familiar with it as they are with their daily drive to work.

During the tests scientists monitored the drivers' brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

The findings of the study show that the brain is more active and reacts more along unfamiliar routes. When the test persons became familiar with the routes, the activity of their brains became less; this was the case for both the experienced and inexperienced drivers. This means that drivers drive on familiar routes without consciously orientating themselves.

More info is available here.

"We desperately need rigorous clinical trials in this area. If the trials support our findings, then these results will be incredibly important in describing specifically what clinicians and/or patients could do to improve health," said Dr Karina Davidson who led the research. She is the Herbert Irving Associate Professor of Medicine & Psychiatry and Director of the Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health at Columbia University Medical Center (New York, USA).

Over a period of ten years, Dr Davidson and her colleagues followed more than 1,700 healthy adults (862 men and 877 women) who were participating in the 1995 Nova Scotia Health Survey. At the start of the study, trained nurses assessed the participants' risk of heart disease and, with both self-reporting and clinical assessment, they measured symptoms of depression, hostility, anxiety and the degree of expression of positive emotions.

After taking account of age, sex, cardiovascular risk factors and negative emotions, the researchers found that, over the ten-year period, increased positive affect predicted less risk of heart disease by 22% per point on a five-point scale measuring levels of positive affect expression (ranging from "none" to "extreme").

Precisely, "participants with no positive affect were at a 22% higher risk of ischemic heart disease (heart attack or angina) than those with a little positive affect, who were themselves at 22% higher risk than those with moderate positive affect" as Dr Davidson stated in the ESC's news release.

What do we have to understand from these results?

"If walking or listening to music improves your mood, get those activities in your schedule. Essentially, spending some few minutes each day truly relaxed and enjoying yourself is certainly good for your mental health, and may improve your physical health as well (although this is, as yet, not confirmed)" she added.

The paper "Don't worry, be happy: positive affect and reduced 10-year incident coronary heart disease: The Canadian Nova Scotia Health Survey" appeared in the European Heart Journal (doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehp603), one of the publications of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Identification of the factors that provoke injuries could allow trainers and sportsmen to modify training programs and prevent future damages.

Experts pointed out that there are three general factors that play a primary role in the risk of suffering an injury: incorrect training techniques, unsuitable or damaged equipments and biomechanical and anthropometrical abnormalities. This last group of factors have been the starting point for their research.

More precisely, they start with the first injury predictor rate described almost 20 years ago (Shambaugh, 1991). They took into account weight imbalance in bipodal support and the deviation of quadriceps Q-angle. They applied the rate of Shambaugh in basketball players and analysed the different predictor variables in a different sports population, considering race and jump athletes of both sexes with ages between 14 and 18 years old. Finally they found a valid tool to predict the risk of injury in the above-mentioned population, a mathematical algorithm.

These research works prove that the analysis by logistic regression can be a valid method in the discrimination of anthropometric parameters related to sports injuries. However, there is still work to be done with a view to consolidate the idea of that the analysis of the sportsman's corporal structure can be a good tool in the prognostic of future injuries. Moreover, could be helpful to improve both his sports achievements and his health.

Much more details are available here.

The project, will make direct visual associations between observational and experiential field work, such as work on Extreme Wave Theory by Norwegian scientists and mathematicians and link this to the material culture of danger - historic storms and tragedies that are part of Shetland's history and narratives, as it is stated in the Bristol UWE's news release.

"My process of making paintings involves extremes and instabilities: peripheral vision, peripheries and promontories - sites of instability and unknowing, places of rapid change and sudden shifts both physically and meteorologically" said Dr. Kerr.

"There is a contrast in the way I respond as an artist and the way a mathematician or a scientists sees these things.  For example comparing the very precise and scientific procedures that they employ in studying the sea and the unpredictability of waves and wind, with the way I, as an artist work, there seems, on the face of it, to be such a contrast in process. However, despite very different ways of working, (they measure with scientific precision while I 'measure' through feeling and intuition) both artist and scientist seek the same end: to come to an understanding of nature."

Dr. Janette Kerr has been keeping a blog of her experiences on Shetland (click here).

More info is available here.

Experts from Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC), in collaboration with international partners in Spain and Switzerland and colleagues in California, have found that artery wall thickening among people living within 100 meters (328 feet) of a Los Angeles highway progressed twice as quickly as those who lived farther away.

The findings were based on five randomized controlled trials conducted by investigators at the USC Atherosclerosis Research Unit during the past decade, which involved linking the measured effects of outside air pollution to the progression of atherosclerosis in 1,483 participants in the Los Angeles area.

The investigators found that annual progression of artery wall thickness among those living within 100 meters of a highway was accelerated by 5.5 micrometers a year, more than twice the average progression of people who lived farther away.
The findings support emerging evidence that high-traffic corridors are unhealthy residential locations, researchers said.

The full article entitled "Ambient Air Pollution and the Progression of Atherosclerosis in Adults" is available here.

"The Olympics symbolize the chance for all of us to push the boundaries of human potential," said Chris Sebelski, assistant professor of physical therapy at Saint Louis University. "As I tell my students, if you want to compete at a high level, mimic the strategies of those at the top" he added.

There are six things we can learn, as follows:

1. Set a Goal and Break it Down

2. Cross-train

3. Workout with Others

4. Create a Team

5. Find your Motivation

6. Put on an Olympic Attitude

"It's been said that running a marathon is now everyman's Everest. But that's true for every sport". "You can train for the Sunday night bowling league, if that's your passion. The bowling championship may be your Olympics," Professor Chris Sebelski also said in a Saint Louis University Medical Center' news release.