Powerful "light scope" used to unearth ancient texts

According to the BBC, scientists at the University of Cardiff have developed a method of reading ancient, highly-sensitive texts (such as the Dead Sea Scrolls) by projecting beams of light ten-billion times brighter than the sun into the parchment. The new technique combines a powerful X-ray-like device called the Diamond Synchrotron (no, seriously), and a computer algorithm that pieces together layers of text to create a three dimensional, readable images of an iron-inked document. Professor Tim Wess, lead researcher on the projects says, "We've folded up a real piece of parchment and then done a process of X-ray tomography on it. We've been able to recover the structure where we can see the words that are written inside the document." The scientists now plan on using the process to explore ancient texts which have been heretofore unreadable due to fear of damage, including 18th century fire-damaged scrolls, and the previously mentioned Dead Sea Scrolls.

[IrishGandalf @ Sep 13th 2007 3:06PM]

*nerdgasim*

[artifex @ Sep 13th 2007 3:06PM]

How do they take care of the chance that really bright light will damage the specimens further?

[Mischa Lockton @ Sep 13th 2007 3:35PM]

yep, artifex, that's what I'm sayin'

"Yeah boss we read the missing scrolls, but they got kind of... uh... light-bleached... so we hope we got the code right."

[Calviin @ Sep 14th 2007 11:25AM]

I'm sure that's something they didn't consider. Good thing your there to remind them of the obvious. They'll be sure to consult you on every method they develop from this point forward.

[waiownsyou @ Sep 13th 2007 3:07PM]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the temperature alone from something 10 billion times the sun be ridiculously high? I'm talking Apocalyptic/Doom's-Day fires here.

[eromlige @ Sep 13th 2007 3:29PM]

Totally my thought too. Unless they're using something along the lines of a cluster of LED based devices.... well, I dunno. But should that get hot too? I mean, "ten-billion times brighter than the sun". My skin burns just thinking about that.

[Andrew Jones @ Sep 13th 2007 4:08PM]

The temperature would be high, but not apocalyptic. Keep in mind that the machine isn't producing 10^9 times the total light of the Sun. Instead, it is producing 10^9 times the lux (lumens/m^2) of the Sun - a significantly smaller amount of light. Taken with the fact that the beam produced seems to be 2.74 nm x 0.0274 nm (http://www.diamond.ac.uk/Technology/MachineParameters - 23.59 fm^2 if I'm not mistaken), the light itself is really not too bright. I'm still somewhat confused how they manage to keep the paper from igniting under those extreme conditions... (http://www.solardeathray.com/)

[Jason Sipes @ Sep 13th 2007 3:09PM]

Damn they found out how I hide my porn!

[Boynamedsue @ Sep 13th 2007 3:12PM]

i used this same method to find out what rare card magic: the gathering booster packs contained back in the early 90's

[oshean @ Sep 13th 2007 3:15PM]

From what I heard, they lost 451 texts during the prototype testing due to spontaneous combustion. ;)

[Dafreshman @ Sep 13th 2007 3:59PM]

fahrenheit 451?

[Jean-Michel Decombe @ Sep 13th 2007 3:22PM]

Man, I'd love to have that stuff to help me decipher Microsoft's EULAs.

[baalpeteor @ Sep 13th 2007 7:20PM]

me 2 I cant read it fuh shit

[Joel @ Sep 13th 2007 3:23PM]

So you can't use flash photography around the declaration of independence, but you can shine 10 billion suns at it?

[CharlieX @ Sep 13th 2007 3:25PM]

If you stood in front of 10 billion suns worth of xrays - it'd seriously ruin your day

[Fruition @ Sep 13th 2007 4:34PM]

Either that or turn you into a superhero... Or supervillain >:)

[Mfalme @ Sep 13th 2007 3:30PM]

I seriously dig the use of heretofore. It's a word that just does not slip into normal day conversation.

[Brian @ Sep 13th 2007 3:31PM]

where can i buy one of those!

[oshean @ Sep 13th 2007 3:32PM]

One unfortunate scientist who walked into the Diamond Synchrotron beam describes his experience. "I saw the light at the end of the tunnel, when I reached the end I saw the face of God." Since the tragic event, the scientist has been fitted with a visor similar to the one worn by Data from TNG.

[HektikLyfe @ Sep 13th 2007 3:39PM]

oshean Dude, you just lost your nerd-card. Data wears no visor. Geordi does. ...and I wasn't even that big a fan of the show.

[chay @ Sep 13th 2007 3:48PM]

Geordie La Forge, surely?

[Andrew @ Sep 13th 2007 3:33PM]

Do not be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed... the power of 10 billion suns is insignificant next to...

well, that's actually pretty good.

[J-2 @ Sep 13th 2007 3:35PM]

That thing is some kinda dangerous! Like others have already pointed out, wouldn't that thing cause sporadic combustion? I think we need someone to enlighten us a little... (no pun intended)

[NHAnimator @ Sep 13th 2007 3:35PM]

"But leading scientists still agree that it's not strong enough to penetrate the volumes of the U.S. Tax Code on file at the IRS."

[oshean @ Sep 13th 2007 3:36PM]

What gives? Scientists can project beams of light ten-billion times brighter than the sun into fragile parchment and I can't take a photograph of a painting in a museum!

[oshean @ Sep 13th 2007 3:41PM]

You know, I have one simple request. And that is to have sharks with frickin' beams of light ten-billion times brighter than the sun attached to their heads!

[Dave @ Sep 13th 2007 3:43PM]

Sorry to put a damper on the fun, but sychrotrons generate monochromatic X-rays... not visible light. The flux is higher than regular X-ray sources, but still in the same energy range that is used for medical imaging.

[HektikLyfe @ Sep 13th 2007 3:46PM]

Just because the human eye can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there. Heat is still generated, radiation is still emanated and using physical photons, previously mentioned scrolls are still penetrated. Sorry, I was on a roll.

Point is just because we can’t observe it within the visible spectrum of the human eye doesn’t mean it isn’t there and won’t start a fire.

[CharlieX @ Sep 13th 2007 4:06PM]

Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there and won't start a fire. HA! funny shit

[Dave @ Sep 13th 2007 8:08PM]

Ugh... why do I even bother. Fine... 10 billion times the heat of the sun... 50 billion calories of energy... whatever. Just be sure to tell the doctor you're afraid you're going to spontaneously combust the next time you go in for an X-ray.

[HektikLyfe @ Sep 13th 2007 3:43PM]

The Vatican will never allow this to happen. Once people realize that the Dead Sea Scrolls include the long lost first verse to all the Earth’s Bible’s “Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away…” chaos would ensue.

[chay @ Sep 13th 2007 3:50PM]

Damn, first I reply too late, then I spell his name like he's from Newcastle.

[HektikLyfe @ Sep 13th 2007 4:18PM]

I noticed that but I wasn't going to say anything. I figured I had done enough nitpicking for the day. :)

[HektikLyfe @ Sep 13th 2007 4:20PM]

Weird, my post didn't ...err post.

I had said that I noticed the typo but I wasn't going to bring it up because I figured I had done enough nitpicking for the day.

[ScotteusMaximus @ Sep 13th 2007 4:32PM]

my guess is that they pulse the light, avoiding pesky fires, just like how quickly waving a paper over a flame really fast won't set it ablaze. don't know how they avoid photobleaching sensitive documents though.

[E71 @ Sep 13th 2007 5:14PM]

According to ABC, the BBC and all British are a bunch of fruits.