Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" is examined with a noninvasive technique called X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy to study the thickness of paint layers and their chemical composition.
PARIS — The enigmatic smile remains a mystery, but French scientists say they have cracked a few secrets of the “Mona Lisa.”
French researchers studied seven of the Louvre Museum’s Leonardo da Vinci paintings, including the “Mona Lisa,” to analyze the master’s use of successive ultrathin layers of paint and glaze — a technique that gave his works their dreamy quality.
Specialists from the Center for Research and Restoration of the Museums of France found that da Vinci painted up to 30 layers of paint on his works to meet his standards of subtlety. Added up, all the layers are less than 40 micrometers, or about half the thickness of a human hair, researcher Philippe Walter said Friday.
The technique, called “sfumato,” allowed Leonardo to give outlines and contours a hazy quality and create an illusion of depth and shadow. His use of the technique is well-known, but scientific study on it has been limited because tests often required samples from the paintings. Continue reading →
Trip to East Sea (2008-6-4)
Time flows like a river, never to be returned, who knows what life has stored for us. Trip to east-sea as I can describe; journey of eternity, felt like pursuit of happiness longed was fulfilled. I always wished to walk along sea beaches by bare foots. This dream of 
mine finally came to be real there. I walked along the seashore (beaches) of east-sea. I could feel the smoothness of the brilliant sands all along the shores. It was extra ordinarily amazing, refreshing and cool. When sea waves touched my feet, kind of energy revived to start again to fight back all the hurdles of life, raise high and fly all along the blue sky. New vibes and rhythm ran all along my veins. I wonder how beautiful is nature? How true? How flawless? I wish I could be as silent and flawless as nature and hope didn’t have hurt anyone. Moreover, I could also enjoy the cool breezes coming through blue Ocean and took lots of photographs as memoirs of my trip to east-sea. Truly, travelling holds a lot and beauty of nature could be explored. However, beauty lies in the eye of beholder.
Pioneers: Women Plant Pathologist
One sunny day I was wondering through the wide fields of mustard. Scenery was great, I felt like heaven. The smell of the mustard was passing through whispering my skin. Then one thought come upon to me. Do plants have any feelings? Do plants suffer like human, etc.etc? It was quite obvious as living things plants may too feel pain but till the date no one knows how the plants really feel. Plants acquire diseases. I have heard and seen lots of epidemic that destroy tons of food and cash crop all over the world. I have seen farmers complaining about the lesser yields of crops. Many scientists are working in the field of plant pathology. It is a science that studies plant disease and attempts to improve the chances for survival of plants when they are faced with unfavorable environmental conditions that cause disease. The concept of plant and plant disease is old and long. Moreover, in this new era it also involves the molecular understanding of disease agents like bacteria, fungi, virus and insects. It deals with study of pathogenicity, bio control mechanism and genes responsible for this activity. It really covers the vast area. What really seize my interest was to know about the pioneer Continue reading →
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Visit Nepal 2011
Nepal, paradise one can experience in a life time. Often, pronounced as close to heaven and “Country of Gorkhas”. Small but the country with pride, diverse culture and historical value; our Nepal confines the catch of every tourist all over the world. The highest peak in the world Mt Everest lies here exploring the heights of the space. World peace founder Lord “Gautam Buddha” birthplace; Lumbini is in Nepal. 10 world heritage sites are located here among which 7 lies within the Kathmandu Valley. It’s one of the amazing facts.
Exploring history, cultural experiences, natural beauty and enjoying exciting and extravagant sports makes really difference. Moreover, everyone can enjoy family environment with warm and loving people in Nepal who are always ready to help the visitors. In our country, guest are treated as god as the saying goes “Athiti Devo Bhava” meaning guests should be treated with full hospitality and honor. Continue reading →
The 3mm-long micro moth, which lives in Hembury Woods in Devon, was recognised as a new species this year .
This week, the biologist who discovered it is presenting the Natural History Museum of London with one of the first known specimens.
The receipt of this “type” specimen will mark the official acceptance of the moth’s existence in the country.
The tiny micro moth, which has a wingspan of just 6mm, was first spotted in 2004. Continue reading →
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Tagged ocean, species
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Two astrophysicists are discussing their research in a bar one evening when a drunk who has been sitting and listening in at the next seat turns and says, in a very worried voice, “What was that you just said!?”
“We were discussion stellar evolution, and I said to my colleague here that the Sun would run out of nuclear fuel and turn into a red giant star in about 5 billion years, possibly melting the Earth.”
“Whew!!,” says the drunk, “You really had me worried. I thought you said 5 million.”
A man asked his wife what she’d like for her 40th birthday. “I’d love to be six again,” she replied. On the morning of her birthday, he got her up bright and early and off they went to a local theme park. What a day! He put her on every ride in the park: the Death Slide, the Screaming Loop, the Wall of Fear, everything there was! Wow! Five hours later she staggered out of the theme park, her head reeling and her stomach upside down. Right to a McDonald’s they went, where her husband ordered her a Happy Meal along with extra fries and a refreshing chocolate shake. Then, it was off to a movie – the latest Disney and what a fabulous adventure! Continue reading →
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Tagged joke
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The lastest data to be released by the Census of Marine Life (CoML) focuses on “hard to see” species. One of the new creatures to be described by scientists is this “squid worm”, recorded at a depth of 2.8km in the Celebes Sea.
Wonderful is the world as wonderful the smile of a little child. Who says life is a dark hologram full of struggle and failure. Can’t you see “ Every dark cloud has a sliver lining.” There is always a beautiful morning after dark nights. The greatest mistake in life is not, making mistake but not learning from the mistake we make. Everyone knows failure is the first step of success but no one one’s to admit it. Learn from your mistakes. As “rolling stones gathers no moss “ try to learn to be stable, goal oriented and focused. Don’t be kind “Jack of all and the master of none .” We all know that “Rome was not built in a day” so as our career and life will not be in our hands at the blink of our eye . Continue reading →
