2000 Year-old Scrolls Read With Scanner 10 Billion Times Brighter Than The Sun [10:41]

--> YouTube-Generated Transcript <--
0:00 · -I'm an imaging specialist,
0:01 · and I always felt it was my mission
0:03 · to use those technologies, imaging in general,
0:07 · to solve new problems.
0:09 · And ultimately,
0:11 · I fantasized about the idea of something completely closed up,
0:15 · that couldn't be opened at all,
0:17 · and that there might be a way to see inside.
0:23 · -Brent believes that his imaging techniques hold the key
0:26 · to reading the papyri.
0:29 · But just getting access to the scrolls has been challenging.
0:34 · The vast majority are kept under lock and key in Naples.
0:39 · Brent's first attempt to gain access didn't go so well.
0:44 · -I talked to conservators
0:46 · who essentially said I would never be given the permission
0:51 · to do anything with that material
0:52 · because it was too fragile.
0:55 · -But Brent wasn't deterred.
0:58 · And in 2019,
1:00 · after his imaging techniques started to show promise,
1:03 · he gained an important ally.
1:05 · ♪♪
1:11 · ♪♪
1:25 · The Institut de France in Paris
1:27 · is one of only two places outside Italy
1:30 · to house Herculaneum scrolls.
1:34 · They arrived in France at the start of the 19th century.
1:52 · Now, more than 200 years later,
1:55 · the staff here are responsible for protecting
1:57 · these precious items.
2:21 · Sharing Brent's desire to unlock the mysteries of these papyri,
2:25 · Francoise Bérard has agreed to grant him access
2:29 · to the Institut's scrolls.
2:31 · There is enormous risk.
3:00 · Brent and his team have developed an ingenious method
3:03 · to ensure the scrolls are transported
3:06 · as safely as possible.
3:09 · -What we are seeing here are replica models
3:11 · of exact Herculaneum scrolls,
3:13 · which are incredibly important
3:14 · for us to be able to build the cases
3:16 · that we use to transport them.
3:20 · -Using a process called photogrammetry,
3:23 · the scientists have created extremely detailed replicas
3:27 · that are then used as molds to build cases for the scrolls.
3:33 · Seth Parker has led this part of the project.
3:38 · -We took many photographs of the scroll,
3:41 · and we reconstructed this 3D shape from those photographs.
3:45 · This particular model was made from a CT scan we did in 2009,
3:49 · which gave us an exact form fit for the outside surface.
3:53 · What's very important about that is it gives us the exact shape,
3:56 · and we can create a model for a case
3:58 · that's form fitted to all of the complex structure
4:01 · that you see on the outside of this scroll.
4:04 · We designed this case
4:06 · so that the scroll could be mounted in the case
4:09 · in a horizontal position,
4:10 · and the conservators wouldn't have to feel
4:12 · as though they're ever putting the scroll
4:14 · in any sort of a precarious position.
4:20 · ♪♪
4:27 · -The specially designed transportation cases
4:29 · have been given to the staff at the Institut de France,
4:33 · so the real scrolls can be placed inside.
4:36 · ♪♪
4:42 · But this is delicate and precise work, even for the experts.
4:47 · ♪♪
4:55 · ♪♪
5:24 · Finally safe and protected,
5:26 · the scrolls are taken 360 miles away --
5:30 · from Paris to Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom --
5:33 · where Brent is waiting,
5:35 · ready to attempt the seemingly impossible.
5:39 · -How does one read a book or a scroll without ever opening it?
5:43 · That's really the question.
5:47 · -At Diamond Light Source, the UK's national synchrotron,
5:51 · Brent is hoping he has found a scanning facility
5:54 · to help him achieve his goal.
5:57 · -So, at the moment, we are inside the control room
5:59 · of the Diamond Light Source.
6:01 · This is a big machine, one of the large-scale facilities
6:04 · in which we accelerate electrons very close
6:08 · to the speed of light.
6:09 · And we produce electromagnetic radiation --
6:12 · very intense photon beams -- to essentially enable research
6:15 · in a number of areas.
6:18 · -This facility can produce a concentrated light source
6:21 · of extraordinary intensity.
6:24 · -So, to give you an idea,
6:26 · I mean, this is billions of times brighter than the sun.
6:29 · -10 billion times brighter, in fact.
6:33 · Using this photon beam
6:35 · to generate extremely high-resolution X-rays
6:38 · of the scrolls is a crucial first step in trying
6:41 · to read what's inside.
6:43 · -You're shining an X-ray beam,
6:45 · a very intense X-ray beam, to your object.
6:47 · It works very similarly to a CT scanner.
6:51 · -Brent's theory is that the ink inside the scrolls
6:53 · should reflect more of the X-rays than the paper,
6:57 · allowing him to see a contrast between the ink and the papyrus.
7:01 · It's a process he's successfully used in the past
7:05 · to read other ancient texts.
7:07 · In 2015,
7:09 · he was able to read a 2,000-year-old carbonized scroll
7:12 · found near Ein Gedi in Israel.
7:15 · -We were the first to ever have done that.
7:17 · The scroll from Ein Gedi was a --
7:20 · a verifiable copy of the first two chapters of Leviticus.
7:24 · And it was verified by scholars outside my group --
7:27 · biblical scholars -- so fully vetted.
7:31 · -Reading inside of the Ein Gedi scroll was a major breakthrough.
7:36 · But the Herculaneum papyri are an even greater challenge.
7:40 · -The scroll from Ein Gedi must have had some metal or impurity
7:46 · in the ink that helped us with the contrast
7:48 · because it turned out
7:50 · that the writing came directly from the scan.
7:53 · What we're finding with Herculaneum
7:55 · is that we don't get a direct signal at the ink in the scan.
7:58 · It has to do with the chemistry.
8:00 · In the ancient world,
8:01 · the inks were mainly based on carbon,
8:04 · and the papyrus is carbon.
8:07 · So, it's kind of hard to see the difference
8:09 · between the background and the foreground.
8:12 · These came from Paris yesterday.
8:13 · -Yes. -On the, uh...
8:17 · On the TGV, through the tunnel, right, through the...
8:21 · uh, the English Channel.
8:23 · -Francoise Bérard has brought loose fragments of papyrus
8:27 · from the Paris collection,
8:29 · in addition to the Herculaneum papyrus.
8:32 · They will provide a crucial building block
8:34 · for reading inside the scrolls.
8:37 · Brent has used his expertise as a computer scientist
8:41 · to build a deep-learning artificial-intelligence program
8:44 · to identify where there is ink on the papyrus.
8:48 · Because the loose fragments contain ink
8:51 · that is visible to the naked eye,
8:53 · they will provide Brent with a sample
8:55 · that can be easily checked to see if the AI is working.
8:59 · -What we're doing when we image the fragments is
9:02 · we're creating a -- a scientific control.
9:06 · Because in the data we capture,
9:09 · we can see what that data looks like,
9:11 · and hopefully tease out what ink actually should be looking like.
9:16 · -It's okay?
9:18 · -Yeah. Let me, um...
9:21 · let me cinch it up with the Allen wrench.
9:24 · So, we'll do this...
9:26 · Once we use those controls,
9:29 · we have a better sense of what to look for in the data.
9:32 · So that's where the artificial intelligence comes in.
9:35 · We've trained a system
9:37 · to be able to see really subtle changes,
9:40 · to go through the data systematically and say,
9:43 · "Does that section look like it has ink?
9:44 · Yes or no?"
9:46 · It creates for us sort of an amplification.
9:48 · And the training comes from these open fragments.
9:51 · Because by being able to see what's visible,
9:54 · we can make this comparison, uh, to what's invisible and hidden.
10:00 · -Once the fragments have been scanned, it's time
10:03 · for the intact scroll to receive the same treatment.
10:09 · -Of course, there's this sacred kind of feeling
10:11 · that comes over you when you're in the presence of something
10:14 · that's 2,000 years old.
10:16 · ♪♪

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--> YouTube-Generated Transcript <--
0:00	·	-I'm an imaging specialist,
0:01	·	and I always felt it was my mission
0:03	·	to use those technologies, imaging in general,
0:07	·	to solve new problems.
0:09	·	And ultimately,
0:11	·	I fantasized about the idea of something completely closed up,
0:15	·	that couldn't be opened at all,
0:17	·	and that there might be a way to see inside.
0:23	·	-Brent believes that his imaging techniques hold the key
0:26	·	to reading the papyri.
0:29	·	But just getting access to the scrolls has been challenging.
0:34	·	The vast majority are kept under lock and key in Naples.
0:39	·	Brent's first attempt to gain access didn't go so well.
0:44	·	-I talked to conservators
0:46	·	who essentially said I would never be given the permission
0:51	·	to do anything with that material
0:52	·	because it was too fragile.
0:55	·	-But Brent wasn't deterred.
0:58	·	And in 2019,
1:00	·	after his imaging techniques started to show promise,
1:03	·	he gained an important ally.
1:05	·	♪♪
1:11	·	♪♪
1:25	·	The Institut de France in Paris
1:27	·	is one of only two places outside Italy
1:30	·	to house Herculaneum scrolls.
1:34	·	They arrived in France at the start of the 19th century.
1:52	·	Now, more than 200 years later,
1:55	·	the staff here are responsible for protecting
1:57	·	these precious items.
2:21	·	Sharing Brent's desire to unlock the mysteries of these papyri,
2:25	·	Francoise Bérard has agreed to grant him access
2:29	·	to the Institut's scrolls.
2:31	·	There is enormous risk.
3:00	·	Brent and his team have developed an ingenious method
3:03	·	to ensure the scrolls are transported
3:06	·	as safely as possible.
3:09	·	-What we are seeing here are replica models
3:11	·	of exact Herculaneum scrolls,
3:13	·	which are incredibly important
3:14	·	for us to be able to build the cases
3:16	·	that we use to transport them.
3:20	·	-Using a process called photogrammetry,
3:23	·	the scientists have created extremely detailed replicas
3:27	·	that are then used as molds to build cases for the scrolls.
3:33	·	Seth Parker has led this part of the project.
3:38	·	-We took many photographs of the scroll,
3:41	·	and we reconstructed this 3D shape from those photographs.
3:45	·	This particular model was made from a CT scan we did in 2009,
3:49	·	which gave us an exact form fit for the outside surface.
3:53	·	What's very important about that is it gives us the exact shape,
3:56	·	and we can create a model for a case
3:58	·	that's form fitted to all of the complex structure
4:01	·	that you see on the outside of this scroll.
4:04	·	We designed this case
4:06	·	so that the scroll could be mounted in the case
4:09	·	in a horizontal position,
4:10	·	and the conservators wouldn't have to feel
4:12	·	as though they're ever putting the scroll
4:14	·	in any sort of a precarious position.
4:20	·	♪♪
4:27	·	-The specially designed transportation cases
4:29	·	have been given to the staff at the Institut de France,
4:33	·	so the real scrolls can be placed inside.
4:36	·	♪♪
4:42	·	But this is delicate and precise work, even for the experts.
4:47	·	♪♪
4:55	·	♪♪
5:24	·	Finally safe and protected,
5:26	·	the scrolls are taken 360 miles away --
5:30	·	from Paris to Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom --
5:33	·	where Brent is waiting,
5:35	·	ready to attempt the seemingly impossible.
5:39	·	-How does one read a book or a scroll without ever opening it?
5:43	·	That's really the question.
5:47	·	-At Diamond Light Source, the UK's national synchrotron,
5:51	·	Brent is hoping he has found a scanning facility
5:54	·	to help him achieve his goal.
5:57	·	-So, at the moment, we are inside the control room
5:59	·	of the Diamond Light Source.
6:01	·	This is a big machine, one of the large-scale facilities
6:04	·	in which we accelerate electrons very close
6:08	·	to the speed of light.
6:09	·	And we produce electromagnetic radiation --
6:12	·	very intense photon beams -- to essentially enable research
6:15	·	in a number of areas.
6:18	·	-This facility can produce a concentrated light source
6:21	·	of extraordinary intensity.
6:24	·	-So, to give you an idea,
6:26	·	I mean, this is billions of times brighter than the sun.
6:29	·	-10 billion times brighter, in fact.
6:33	·	Using this photon beam
6:35	·	to generate extremely high-resolution X-rays
6:38	·	of the scrolls is a crucial first step in trying
6:41	·	to read what's inside.
6:43	·	-You're shining an X-ray beam,
6:45	·	a very intense X-ray beam, to your object.
6:47	·	It works very similarly to a CT scanner.
6:51	·	-Brent's theory is that the ink inside the scrolls
6:53	·	should reflect more of the X-rays than the paper,
6:57	·	allowing him to see a contrast between the ink and the papyrus.
7:01	·	It's a process he's successfully used in the past
7:05	·	to read other ancient texts.
7:07	·	In 2015,
7:09	·	he was able to read a 2,000-year-old carbonized scroll
7:12	·	found near Ein Gedi in Israel.
7:15	·	-We were the first to ever have done that.
7:17	·	The scroll from Ein Gedi was a --
7:20	·	a verifiable copy of the first two chapters of Leviticus.
7:24	·	And it was verified by scholars outside my group --
7:27	·	biblical scholars -- so fully vetted.
7:31	·	-Reading inside of the Ein Gedi scroll was a major breakthrough.
7:36	·	But the Herculaneum papyri are an even greater challenge.
7:40	·	-The scroll from Ein Gedi must have had some metal or impurity
7:46	·	in the ink that helped us with the contrast
7:48	·	because it turned out
7:50	·	that the writing came directly from the scan.
7:53	·	What we're finding with Herculaneum
7:55	·	is that we don't get a direct signal at the ink in the scan.
7:58	·	It has to do with the chemistry.
8:00	·	In the ancient world,
8:01	·	the inks were mainly based on carbon,
8:04	·	and the papyrus is carbon.
8:07	·	So, it's kind of hard to see the difference
8:09	·	between the background and the foreground.
8:12	·	These came from Paris yesterday.
8:13	·	-Yes. -On the, uh...
8:17	·	On the TGV, through the tunnel, right, through the...
8:21	·	uh, the English Channel.
8:23	·	-Francoise Bérard has brought loose fragments of papyrus
8:27	·	from the Paris collection,
8:29	·	in addition to the Herculaneum papyrus.
8:32	·	They will provide a crucial building block
8:34	·	for reading inside the scrolls.
8:37	·	Brent has used his expertise as a computer scientist
8:41	·	to build a deep-learning artificial-intelligence program
8:44	·	to identify where there is ink on the papyrus.
8:48	·	Because the loose fragments contain ink
8:51	·	that is visible to the naked eye,
8:53	·	they will provide Brent with a sample
8:55	·	that can be easily checked to see if the AI is working.
8:59	·	-What we're doing when we image the fragments is
9:02	·	we're creating a -- a scientific control.
9:06	·	Because in the data we capture,
9:09	·	we can see what that data looks like,
9:11	·	and hopefully tease out what ink actually should be looking like.
9:16	·	-It's okay?
9:18	·	-Yeah. Let me, um...
9:21	·	let me cinch it up with the Allen wrench.
9:24	·	So, we'll do this...
9:26	·	Once we use those controls,
9:29	·	we have a better sense of what to look for in the data.
9:32	·	So that's where the artificial intelligence comes in.
9:35	·	We've trained a system
9:37	·	to be able to see really subtle changes,
9:40	·	to go through the data systematically and say,
9:43	·	"Does that section look like it has ink?
9:44	·	Yes or no?"
9:46	·	It creates for us sort of an amplification.
9:48	·	And the training comes from these open fragments.
9:51	·	Because by being able to see what's visible,
9:54	·	we can make this comparison, uh, to what's invisible and hidden.
10:00	·	-Once the fragments have been scanned, it's time
10:03	·	for the intact scroll to receive the same treatment.
10:09	·	-Of course, there's this sacred kind of feeling
10:11	·	that comes over you when you're in the presence of something
10:14	·	that's 2,000 years old.
10:16	·	♪♪