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Eureka! Archimedes Revealed

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the old-school dept.

pin_gween writes "The Mercury News has an AP wire that shows science uncovering history. 800 years ago a monk scrubbed the text off a goatskin parchment to write prayers. Nothing unusual there, except the parchment contained writings from a copy of Archimedes' Palimpsest. Now scientists are using x-rays, generated by a particle accelerator, to cause tiny amounts of iron left by the original ink to glow without harming the delicate goatskin parchment. It takes 12 hours to scan one page, then the information is posted online."

10 of 244 comments (clear)

  1. First Post... (Read on) by jfinke · · Score: 5, Funny

    So, in other words, you could say that Archimedes had the first post. :) Sorry, could not resist.

    1. Re:First Post... (Read on) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      yeah, but it was modded down by a christian monk...

    2. Re:First Post... (Read on) by El+Torico · · Score: 5, Funny

      ...and now it was just modded up by Stanford University.

      --
      In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is usually crucified.
  2. Eureka! by colonslashslash · · Score: 5, Funny
    It is the most difficult imaging challenge on any medieval document because the book is in such terrible condition.


    Well, that, and the fact that some monk dude scrawled his love letters to god all over the bloody text!

    --
    She's built like a steak house, but she handles like a bistro....
  3. Text read by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    4 Carrots
    2 Pints of milk
    Brithday card for aunt Mavis

  4. Re:Not quite perfect by Unknown_monkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    My last girlfriend complained that I didn't know enough about Heraclitus and that's why she was leaving. I didn't realize she knew that much about ancient greeks. I guess she studied Heraclitus a lot on her own when I fell asleep.

    --
    Why are women so complicated? Find out how little I know here.
  5. Electron bombardment by SEWilco · · Score: 4, Funny
    It takes 12 hours to scan one page, then the information is posted online.
    Then the information is bombarded with /. access requests.
  6. I had a book like that. by houghi · · Score: 4, Funny

    I had a bible on vellum made by some printing company called Gutenberg, but some asshole called Martin Luther scribbeld all these corrections over it, so I used it to light the fireplace.

    --
    Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
  7. What Archimedes Forgot by tonyr1988 · · Score: 4, Funny

    chmod 711

  8. Excuse me by MrHanky · · Score: 4, Funny

    But why should Archimedes give everyone execute rights to his writing?