The Kind of Science I Like

Forget all that silly Dan Brown stuff; this is the real thing...ok, except it lacks any revisionist dreams of a world duped by a false history of its most famous religious figure. That, and all the fuss is over a 3rd century BC Greek mathematician.

But mystery? scholarship? hidden knowledge? lost texts? forgery? and high-tech revelation? Oh yes, it's all here, folks.

So toss that cheesey, water-stained mass-market paper aside and head here for some real-life drama...

The Archimedes Palimpsest Project.




This past week scientists at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Project began to reveal a 10th century script, the earliest known copy of a treatise by Archimedes, long obscured by the writings of a 12th century monk (the palimpsest-er), and early 20th century forgers.

Of course, much happened to the book between its accquisition by a private collector in 1998 and the eventual revelations it gave up to technicians, scientists and scholars before it landed in Stanford. And, according to the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, there are several more 'books' to be plumbed. So, thankfully, the Stanford news is neither the beginning nor the end of this tale.

I love this kind of stuff. What a joy it must be to witness these words show themselves, legibly, for the first time in almost a thousand years! Thanks be to the great minds who allowed this to happen!

If you love this sort of thing, too, I highly recommend a visit to the Walters' site. Whether your interest is science, ancient texts, history or art, you'll find something inspiring in their well-designed site.

Go on, really. (And don't let my Talladega Nights interest dissuade you from my generally good taste.)