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Can technology make the Herculaneum scrolls legible after 2,000 years? (2015) (newyorker.com)
26 points by diodorus on Oct 5, 2018 | hide | past | favorite | 4 comments



Interesting to contrast this with the previous (far more optimistic) article discussed 3 years ago at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9585552


Betteridge's law of headlines proven correct yet again...

"“I do not expect this scroll will be read during my lifetime,” Delattre said, finally. He closed the lid of the small box with both hands, his shoulders slumped in defeat."


Not really. The answer is “Yes it can, but politics, legal obstacles, and some slightly valid concerns about damaging the samples might stop them.”


We frequently overestimate what we can do in 1 year, and underestimate what we can do in 10 years.




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