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Modern humans who first arose in Africa had moved into Europe as far back as about 45,000 years ago, according to a new study by an international research team led by the Russian Academy of Sciences and the University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ.

The University of Colorado Technical Research Service, a fee-based document delivery and research service, will close on Jan. 31. The CTRC has been a department of the University Libraries for nearly 40 years and was one of the first services of its kind. Clients have included companies such as Ball Aerospace, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Lockheed Martin, National Geographic and hundreds of others.

MEDIA ADVISORY A news briefing to announce a major milestone in the number of University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ alumni who have served as Peace Corps volunteers will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 16, in the University Memorial Center's north dining room. The briefing will be from 11:30 a.m. to about 11:50 a.m. and will feature: o Charles "Chuck" Brooks, the Peace Corps' associate director of volunteer recruitment and selection in Washington, D.C. o CU-Â鶹ӰԺ Chancellor G.P. "Bud" Peterson

The science lurking in the kitchen and the controversy around the discovery of modern genetics will be discussed in separate presentations Jan. 20 at the University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ. The CU Wizards show "Chemistry in the Kitchen" will take place at 9:30 a.m. in Cristol Chemistry and Biochemistry Building room 140. At 2 p.m. in Duane Physics room G1B30, the CU-Â鶹ӰԺ physics department will present "Can Data Be Too Good To Be True?" as part of its Saturday Physics Series.

Ken Krechmer, a University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ lecturer in electrical and computer engineering, was awarded second prize in the IEC Centenary Challenge, an international competition concerned with the economic, business and social impacts of technological standards.

NASA has selected a team led by the University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ as one of two finalists for an orbiting space mission slated to launch in 2011 to probe the past climate of Mars, including its potential for harboring life over the eons. The team, led by CU-Â鶹ӰԺ's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, will receive $2 million from NASA for a nine-month "Phase A" study for the proposed Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission, or MAVEN.

Three researchers from the University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have received a 2007 U.S. Department of Energy award to support research efforts to improve climate models.

The University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ is open today, Monday, Jan. 8. However, due to high winds and poor road conditions on some roads into Â鶹ӰԺ, employees are advised to use caution on trips to and from campus, according to campus Police Chief Joe Roy. CU-Â鶹ӰԺ is on winter break this week. Classes resume on Tuesday, Jan. 16.

The University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ campus is closing today at 2 p.m. for all but essential employees due to hazardous weather conditions, according to Provost and Acting Chancellor Phil DiStefano. The campus will resume normal business operations and previously scheduled activities at 6 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 6.

The Friends of the University of Colorado Libraries will hold its annual Information Day at Norlin Library on the CU-Â鶹ӰԺ campus Wednesday, Jan. 10, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will be in the Center for British and Irish Studies on the fifth floor of the library. Information Day is free and open to the public and no reservations are required.