Archimedes Project to Air on Local Broadcast News

Modern Technology Reveals Ancient Science

A page from the Archimedes Palimpsest painted over with a forged religious image (left) and SSRL's x-ray view of this same page showing text hidden behind the paint.
(Click here to see detail of x-ray image.)

by Brad Plummer and Heather Rock Woods

Finally, after more than 1,000 years in obscurity, the last unreadable pages of the works of ancient mathematician Archimedes are being deciphered, thanks to x-ray vision at SLAC. This research, which is underway this week at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL), will offer the most complete record of Archimedes' works since the middle ages.

A team of scientists is using a special x-ray imaging technique, called x-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging, to finally unlock these scientific secrets, hidden from view since antiquity on a goatskin parchment manuscript. The manuscript uniquely records several of the works of the legendary 3rd century B.C. mathematician, who famously exclaimed "Eureka!" upon discovering how to measure the volume of a solid while sitting in his bathtub. Archimedes' work is considered to be the foundation of modern mathematics. Read more...

Carsten Hast,
Tango Dancer

by Krista Zala

Carsten Hast dances with Donna Sotiropoulos. (Click on image for larger version.)

Twenty years ago, Carsten Hast moved to Hamburg to complete his studies at DESY. When an acquaintance spoke of her plans to open an Argentine Tango studio, Carsten decided to try it. "Within three weeks I was hooked," he said. "It's not me who started it: tango came to me and never let me go."

Once he got over the challenge of not stepping on his own feet, Carsten says Argentine Tango "is a totally different world from ballroom or other Latin dances." Between the communication, emotion, and playfulness required, tango is the most complicated of dances.
Read more...

California Council of Science and Technology Convenes at SLAC

by Neil Calder

Twelve representatives of the area's major research laboratories—including NASA Ames Research Center, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories and SLAC—gathered at the lab yesterday to meet with members of the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST). Discussions revolved around how California can benefit from the exceptional range and quality of its federal research laboratories.

CCST is a partnership of industry, academia and government that identifies ways that science and technology can be used to improve the state's economy and quality of life.

"The innovation horsepower that the labs represent is a major asset for California. The labs impact the state's economy, workforce and quality of life," said CCST Executive Director Susan Hackwood. "It was a pleasure to hold this meeting at SLAC."

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Refining the Fine-structure Constant Physics Web
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View online at http://today.slac.stanford.edu/.

Archimedes Project to Air on Local Broadcast News Modern Technology Reveals Ancient Science A page from the Archimedes Palimpsest painted over with a forged religious image (left) and SSRL's x-ray view of this same page showing text hidden behind the paint. (Click here to see detail of x-ray image.) by Brad Plummer and Heather Rock Woods Finally, after more than 1,000 years in obscurity, the last unreadable pages of the works of ancient mathematician Archimedes are being deciphered, thanks to x-ray vision at SLAC. This research, which is underway this week at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL), will offer the most complete record of Archimedes' works since the middle ages. A team of scientists is using a special x-ray imaging technique, called x-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging, to finally unlock these scientific secrets, hidden from view since antiquity on a goatskin parchment manuscript. The manuscript uniquely records several of the works of the legendary 3rd century B.C. mathematician, who famously exclaimed "Eureka!" upon discovering how to measure the volume of a solid while sitting in his bathtub. Archimedes' work is considered to be the foundation of modern mathematics. Read more...

Carsten Hast, Tango Dancer by Krista Zala Carsten Hast dances with Donna Sotiropoulos. (Click on image for larger version.) Twenty years ago, Carsten Hast moved to Hamburg to complete his studies at DESY. When an acquaintance spoke of her plans to open an Argentine Tango studio, Carsten decided to try it. "Within three weeks I was hooked," he said. "It's not me who started it: tango came to me and never let me go." Once he got over the challenge of not stepping on his own feet, Carsten says Argentine Tango "is a totally different world from ballroom or other Latin dances." Between the communication, emotion, and playfulness required, tango is the most complicated of dances. Read more...	California Council of Science and Technology Convenes at SLAC by Neil Calder Twelve representatives of the area's major research laboratories—including NASA Ames Research Center, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories and SLAC—gathered at the lab yesterday to meet with members of the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST). Discussions revolved around how California can benefit from the exceptional range and quality of its federal research laboratories. CCST is a partnership of industry, academia and government that identifies ways that science and technology can be used to improve the state's economy and quality of life. "The innovation horsepower that the labs represent is a major asset for California. The labs impact the state's economy, workforce and quality of life," said CCST Executive Director Susan Hackwood. "It was a pleasure to hold this meeting at SLAC."	Events (see all \| submit) August 8: (12:30 p.m.) Experimental Seminar: CMS Physics Commissioning Access (see all) A&E ADA Restroom Renovation Bulb and Ballast Replacement in Bldg. 84 and 40 Announcements (see all \| submit) Lab Announcements 2007 Child Care Subsidy Grant Informational Sessions for Faculty and Staff Supervisor and Manager Training on ES&H Self-Assessment New ES&H E-mail Reminder Notices Kids Day - August 16 Community Bulletin Board Reminder: Bike Safety Uwe Bergmann to Discuss Archimedes Manuscript - Aug. 3 News (see all \| submit) Refining the Fine-structure Constant Physics Web Energy Department Awards $2.5B Contract Business News Physicists Discover New Way To Visualize Shape Changes In Molecules PhysOrg.com
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