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Ancient Herculaneum scrolls are now readable due to AI technology, scientists say

Ancient Herculaneum scrolls are now readable due to AI technology, scientists say

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At first glance, the Herculaneum scrolls look unremarkable, like pieces of coal. After surviving the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, the nearly 2,000-year-old documents would crumble if anyone attempted to unroll them, and surviving pieces with writing were considered to be nearly illegible to the human eye — until now.

After two millennia, the first full word from one of the unopened ancient papyri has been decoded with the help of computer technology and advanced artificial intelligence, according to an announcement made by a team of researchers who launched the “Vesuvius Challenge,” a competition designed to accelerate the discoveries made on the scrolls.

The word, “πορφυρας” or “porphyras,” which is the Greek word for purple, was found first by University of Nebraska computer science

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The ancient technology keeping space missions alive

The ancient technology keeping space missions alive

4 June 1996, European space port, French Guiana…

It took more than 10 years to design and build Europe’s four identical Cluster satellites for launch; and just 39 seconds to lose them all in an enormous fireball.

Their remains rained down over the South American jungle as the Ariane 5 rocket veered off course and exploded. VIPs who had been sipping champagne on the outdoor viewing gallery moments earlier were ushered back inside to avoid being injured by the falling debris.

The disaster was one of the European Space Agency’s (Esa) most visible and spectacular failures. But within months, work had begun on a replacement mission, Cluster II.

Designed to fly in formation to investigate the interaction between charged particles from the Sun – the solar wind ­– and the magnetic bubble surrounding the Earth, known as the magnetosphere, Cluster II ranks as one of the most successful and long-lasting

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