Read unopened manuscripts

2007/11/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Fisika

XII. From the 20th century a lot was used to write ferrogallic ink on parchment or paper. But the ink reacts with the collagen of the material and destroys the manuscript. Therefore, sometimes scientists investigating ancient manuscripts do not dare to disclose them, as they are in danger of being completely spoiled. Now, at Cardiff University in Britain, the X-ray Diamond syncotron has been used to read ancient manuscripts. The light generated by the synchrotron is ten billion times brighter than that of the sun, allowing researchers to obtain a three-dimensional image of the document written in ferric ink. This way you can read the document without opening it.