Latest Synchrotron Stories

A new form of platinum that could be used to make cheaper, more efficient fuel cells has been created by researchers at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and the University of Houston. The process, described in the April 25th issue of Nature Chemistry, could help enable broader use of the devices, which produce emissions-free energy using hydrogen."This is a significant advance," said scientist Anders Nilsson, who conducts research at the Stanford...

GRENOBLE, France, April 12, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- - Despite its Recent Discovery, one of the Best-Preserved Hominid Fossils has Already Been Analysed with Synchrotron Light Prof. Lee Berger of the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa) has discovered a new species of early human ancestor in one of the best-preserved skeletons of an hominid, dated around 1.9 million years old, in the Cradle of Humankind. This discovery was published on 9 April in Science. The...

Despite its recent discovery in South Africa, one of the best-preserved hominid fossil ever discovered has already been analyzed with synchrotron lightPalaeoanthropologist Prof. Lee Berger of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, has discovered a new species of early human ancestor in one of the best-preserved skeletons of an early hominid, dated around 1.9 million years old, in the Cradle of Humankind, a World Heritage Site. This discovery was published on 9 April...

GRENOBLE, France, April 8, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- We are advised by European Synchrotron Radiation Facility that journalists and other readers should disregard the news release "First Studies of Fossil of new Human Ancestor Take Place at the European Synchrotron", issued earlier today over PR Newswire. A final version will be issued at 3pm BST today. SOURCE European Synchrotron Radiation Facility

GRENOBLE, France, April 8, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- - Despite its Recent Discovery, one of the Best-Preserved Hominid Fossils has Already Been Analysed with Synchrotron Light Prof. Lee Berger of the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa) has discovered a new species of early human ancestor in one of the best-preserved skeletons of an hominid, dated around 1.9 million years old, in the Cradle of Humankind. This discovery was published on 9 April in Science. The fossil's...

Science and technology are becoming increasingly involved in the world of art. Scientific advances and new technological instruments are opening new doors to fields of knowledge to which they had been previously closed. Art is one such case in point.Through an agreement with the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC), the Analysis of Cultural Heritage Materials (AMPC) research group, which concentrates on the study of materials that are of historical, archeological, artistic and cultural...

U.S. and British researchers have linked changes in the distribution of metal ions in the brain to Parkinson's disease. The findings, presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Chicago -- by Dr. Joanna Collingwood of Keele University in Staffordshire, England, and Dr. Mark Davidson of the University of Florida -- offer hope of new treatments and earlier diagnosis for those with this neurodegenerative disorder. The researchers are mapping...

Researchers say a new facility opening later this year at Britain's Diamond Light Source synchrotron may revolutionize science. Officials said the powerful new experimental station called the Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing beamline will carry out experiments in a variety of scientific areas, including biology and physical and chemical science. The versatility of JEEP will open up exciting new opportunities in many fields of science due to its extremely high flux, high energy...

A new facility opening later this year at the Diamond synchrotron is set to revolutionize world heritage science. A new research platform soon to be available at the leading UK science facility, Diamond Light Source, will help uncover ancient secrets that have been locked away for centuries. For the first time ever, cultural heritage scientists will be able to scan and image large relics and artifacts up to two tons in weight in incredible precision. They will no longer be restricted to...

A new technique allows pictures which were later painted over to be revealed once more. An international research team, including members from Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands) and the University of Antwerp (Belgium), has successfully applied this technique for the first time to the painting entitled Patch of Grass by Vincent van Gogh. Behind this painting is a portrait of a woman.It is well-known that Vincent van Gogh often painted over his older works. Experts estimate that...