Posted on 11/20/2010 6:52:25 AM PST by SunkenCiv
The ability to tell the difference between crystals that formed naturally and those formed by human activity can be important to archaeologists in the field.
This can be a crucial bit of information in determining the ancient activities that took place at a site, yet archaeologists often wait for months for the results of laboratory tests.
Now, however, an international team of physicists, archaeologists and materials scientists has developed a process that can tell in a matter of minutes the origin of samples thousands of years old. The new device is easily portable and works by "lifting off" the spectral fingerprint of a material with infrared light.
The first material tested was the mineral calcite, commonly found in rocks such as limestone, which forms over millions years in sediments. These rocks can also contain the mineralized shells of sea creatures. Archaeological sites may also feature calcite that was a part of ash, plaster, or other building materials.
In the latest issue of the journal Advanced Materials, on-line today, Stefano Curtarolo, associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials sciences and physics at Duke University, and Kristin Poduska, associate professor of physics at Memorial University in Newfoundland, and their colleagues at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, describe the new approach, which has already been successfully tested in archeological sites in Israel.
(Excerpt) Read more at azom.com ...
This is Kristin Poduska of Duke University.
It`s called a LED flashlight.
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The New Diamond Age
Wired | September 2003 | By Joshua Davis
Posted on 08/12/2003 5:49:04 PM PDT by Fzob
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/962980/posts
Super flawless diamonds now made by machines
Worldnetdaily | 08/18/03 | Staff Writer
Posted on 08/18/2003 9:12:19 AM PDT by bedolido
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/966034/posts
....maybe it will work on Polosi’s Botox....looks like some of it crystallized a few hundread years ago.
they could use Helen Thomas as a calibration sample
Map and compass?
Stone Age Twister champion?
That recumbent bike needs more wheels.
Gotta beat the “taste” method. “Ummm, I think this was the loo”.
I have one of those:
It’s called a beeber...
Yeah, that’s gotta be a low-seniority job to have. ;’)
The Picts, by contrast, never got beyond “your face, blue”.
It’ll be hard to argue with that.
I like how LED flashlights work, and how long the batteries last while they’re setting around waiting for me to use ‘em. I *don’t* like how there’s no meaningful way to easily compare the output of LED, CF, and incandescent home lighting. So much for “nanny state”, they can’t even officiously regulate right. I suspect that has something to do with the anemic output of LED replacements for various AC lighting. Walmart was blowing out an LED desk light ($5) that normally sells (at Target for example) for around $15 — and not surprisingly, none of the floor samples I’ve seen at ANY store are plugged in to compare with real desk lamps.
Never take a unicycle to a wheelie contest. Or maybe, yeah, do it.
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