Tag Archives: CNRS

History

Earliest evidence of wine-making in Europe

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By hnn

Elements for the various activities that were taking place in a Neolithic household were presented during the annual conference for the archaeological works in Macedonia and Thrace, currently in progress in Thessaloniki.

Dr. Chaido Koukouli-Chrysanthaki (Director Emerita for Antiquities, Kavala), Dr Pascal Darque (Research Director at CNRS, France, Archaeology and Science of Antiquity, Nanterre), Dr. Dimitra Malamidou (Archaeologist 18th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities), Dr Zoϊ Tsirtsoni (Researcher, CNRS France, Archaeology and Science of Antiquity) and Dr. Tania Valamoti (Assistant Professor, Department of History and Archaeology, Aristotle University of Therssaloniki) will present new evidence on Dikili Tash’s “House 1”.…

Source:
Archaeology News Network

Source URL:
http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2013/03/neolithic-site-in-ne-greece-yields.html#.UVCO6Rns8k0

Date:
3-21-13

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at History News Network – George Mason University

Science & Technology

Why red algae never colonized dry land

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The first red alga genome has just been sequenced by an international team coordinated by CNRS and UPMC at the Station Biologique de Roscoff (Brittany), notably involving researchers from CEA-Genoscope, the universities of Lille 1 and Rennes 1 and the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle. The genome of Chondrus crispus, also known by the Breton name ‘pioka’, turns out to be small and compact for a multicellular organism. It has fewer genes than several other species of unicellular algae, which raises a number of questions about the evolution of red algae. This low number of genes could explain why these organisms never colonized dry land, unlike their green counterparts-from which all terrestrial plants are descended. These findings open up new perspectives on the natural history of algae and of terrestrial plants. They are published online in the journal PNAS on March 11, 2013. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org

Science & Technology

Exploring supercapacitors to improve their structure

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No matter how intimidating their name, supercapacitors are part of our daily lives. Take buses for example: supercapacitors are charged during braking, and supply electricity to open the doors when the vehicle stops. Yet the molecular organization and functioning of these electricity storage devices had not previously been observed. For the first time, researchers from CNRS and the Université d’Orléans have explored the molecular rearrangements at play in commercially available supercapacitors while in operation. The technique devised by the scientists provides a new tool for optimizing and improving tomorrow’s supercapacitors. The results are published on-line on Nature Materials‘ website on 17 February 2013. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org

Science & Technology

Biological connections in microelectronics

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Miniaturization of electronic components is reaching a physical limit. While the solution of three dimensional assembly has the advantage of reducing bulk, the manufacture of electrical connections in these new products remains a technological challenge. Biologists and physicists from the CEA, CNRS, Université Joseph Fourier and Inra in Grenoble have developed a system of self-assembled connections using actin filaments for 3D microelectronic structures. Once the actin filaments become conductors, they join the various components of a system together. The results are published in the February 10, 2013 issue of Nature Materials. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org

Science & Technology

Astronomers measure nearby Universe's 'cosmic fog'

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Researchers from the Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet (CNRS/École Polytechnique) have carried out the first measurement of the intensity of the diffuse extragalactic background light in the nearby Universe, a fog of photons that has filled the Universe ever since its formation. Using some of the brightest gamma-ray sources in the southern hemisphere, the study was carried out using measurements performed by the HESS telescope array, located in Namibia and involving CNRS and CEA. The study is complementary to that recently carried out by the Fermi-LAT space observatory. These findings provide new insight into the size of the Universe observable in gamma rays and shed light on the formation of stars and the evolution of galaxies. They feature on the cover of the 16 January 2013 issue of the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics online.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org

Science & Technology

Genetic admixture in southern Africa: Ancient Khoisan lineages survive in contemporary Bantu groups

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An international team of researchers from the MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig and the CNRS in Lyon have investigated the maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA of 500 individuals from southern Africa speaking different Khoisan and Bantu languages. Their results demonstrate that Khoisan foragers were genetically more diverse than previously known. Divergent mtDNA lineages from indigenous Khoisan groups were incorporated into the genepool of the immigrating Bantu-speaking agriculturalists through admixture, and have thus survived until the present day, although the Khoisan-speaking source populations themselves have become extinct.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org