In this digest, we will tell you about an international forum devoted to the Arctic that kicked off in St.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th December, 2022) In this digest, we will tell you about an international forum devoted to the Arctic that kicked off in St. Petersburg, an opposition of Mars that coincided this year with two more astronomical phenomena, and Russian scientists' plans to develop a technology for non-invasive and rapid analysis of the skin.
The 12th International Forum "Arctic: Today and the Future," which will last two days, opened in St. Petersburg on Thursday, the organizers said.
"The business program of the forum will include over 50 sessions in 11 thematic areas, which will be devoted to current areas of development of the Arctic zone of Russia," the organizers said in a statement.
The main topic of the forum � held during Russia's two-year chairmanship in the Arctic Council � will be the unification of efforts to ensure a sustainable future for the macroregion in a period of global geopolitical and economic changes.
The subject of discussion will be, in particular, the main aspects of Russia's state policy in the Arctic zone, the development of human capital, investment in Arctic projects, support for youth and development of human resources, as well as the preservation of ecosystems and cultural heritage.
One of the key topics of the forum will be the development of non-governmental international cooperation in the Arctic, the statement read.
Mars reached opposition � a state when it lies opposite to the Sun in the sky � on Thursday, with the event coinciding with two more astronomical phenomena, the last full moon of 2022 and a Mars eclipse, the Moscow Planetarium said.
All three phenomena occurred in the morning, almost at the same time � from 04:00 to 06:00 GMT.
During the opposition, the distance between the Earth and the Red Planet was 82.2 million kilometers (51 million miles), with Mars being at its closest point to our planet. Oppositions occur on average every 780 days, and once every 15-17 years Mars flies up to us as close as possible, 60 million kilometers � this phenomenon is called the great opposition.
This time, the full moon and Mars's maximum visible size and brilliance in two years created ideal conditions for observing the three phenomena at once. Astronomers call the most interesting moment for observation its partial phases, when the moon is just beginning or finishing covering part of the planet's disk.
"Throughout the night, Mars and the moon were observed over the vast territory of the northern hemisphere of the Earth. Mars ... (was) visible from the northern and eastern regions of the European part of Russia, except for the southeastern regions," the planetarium said.
Kaluga, Tula and Lipetsk were the most southern cities from which the eclipse could be seen. In most of them it started at 05:00 GMT or a few minutes earlier. Depending on the locality, the lunar occultation lasted 30-40 minutes.
The next eclipses will take place on January 3 and January 31, as well as on February 28, 2023, but Russians will be able to witness only the last one.
Scientists at Samara National Research University will develop a technology for non-invasive and rapid analysis of the skin and design a portable device to detect neoplasms or acne, the university's press service said on Thursday.
According to the World Health Organization, residents of developed countries now turn to dermatologists 40% more often than 10 years ago. However, existing methods in dermatology and cosmetology still do not allow quick and high-quality diagnostics.
"During the year, scientists of the S.P. Korolev Samara National Research University will develop a technology for non-invasive automatic analysis of the skin condition and design a portable device, with which it will be possible to quickly and painlessly identify both serious pathologies, such as neoplasms, and diagnose problems that are usually considered cosmetic � acne, post-acne, rosacea, dehydration of the skin and others," the university said in a statement.
In the future, such a system will enable a biochemical analysis of the patient's skin to be carried out, similar to how biochemical blood tests are now done in medical laboratories. While it is currently necessary to take a sample, scraping, or perform a biopsy for skin analysis, with the new technology, everything will be done without breaking the skin, non-invasively. Doctors will measure the spectrum of a certain area of the skin, the program will analyze everything and issue a printout indicating the concentrations of skin components and a preliminary diagnosis.
The accuracy of the analysis will be from 75% to 99%.
