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Deciphering the ancient scrolls of Herculaneum | 60 Minutes Archive
In A.D. 79, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried Pompeii and the lesser-known city of Herculaneum – and with it, a library full of nearly 2,000 papyrus scrolls. Researchers discovered the library, housed in a villa thought to have belonged to Julius Caesar’s father-in-law, in the 1700s. The scrolls it contained soon became an object of fascination for scholars, who have long believed that they hold troves of ancient knowledge. But reading what was written in the scrolls would be challenging: the volcanic eruption turned the scrolls into brittle, charred lumps, preventing researchers from unraveling their contents without turning them to ash. The scrolls’ internal text remained inaccessible – until now.
Three students – Youssef Nader, Luke Farritor and Julian Schilliger – cracked the code on one of the scrolls last year. Leveraging a combination of machine learning and computer vision, the students deciphered a section of one scroll: a philosophical passage on pleasure. The students were aided by the groundbreaking work of University of Kentucky professor Brent Seales, who has spent the last two decades trying to unlock the secrets of the scrolls. Seales pioneered a technique for unwrapping the scrolls virtually, using powerful X-rays and artificial intelligence. The three students refined his approach, enabling them to read the scroll without ever physically opening it.
Seales co-founded the Vesuvius Challenge, an international competition focused on resurrecting the ancient library. The students took home the competition’s $700,000 grand prize in February, but the challenge is far from over. The students uncovered just 5% of one scroll. The next prize will be awarded to the first team that can decipher 90% of the four scrolls Seales and his team have scanned.
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NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.