Book Science Uses Microscopes, AI, and Imaging to Preserve Ancient Manuscripts

Book scientists employ technologies like microscopes, multispectral imaging, and artificial intelligence to recover and preserve ancient texts. At the University of Toronto's Old Books New Science Lab and Matrix Functionalization and Phenotyping Lab, researchers collaborate with conservators and heritage scientists. A 13th-century Jewish manuscript at the University of Toronto became legible through multispectral imaging, revealing faded inks and erased writing. Parchment manuscripts, made from animal skin containing collagen, are studied microscopically to detect early deterioration signs. Artificial intelligence tools transcribe endangered languages such as Geʽez from Ethiopian Coptic manuscripts. Cultural heritage faces threats from wildfires in California, bombing in Gaza, and wars in Ukraine and Iran. Climate change and mass digitization reshape preservation work, making scientific insights essential for library and archive collections. Books exist in various forms like papyrus rolls, palm leaf manuscripts, and clay tablets, each shaped by local materials. The Andrews Book Science Hub used 16 wavelengths of light to reveal lost text in manuscripts. This approach allows glimpses into the past by examining old documents in new ways.