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Factual: Science & Nature

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A weekly programme looking at the science that's changing our world.

A weekly programme that illuminates the mysteries and challenges the controversies behind the science that's changing our world.

BBC Inside Science: Ancient Roman writings revealed

Ancient Roman writings revealed

BBC Radio 4 - BBC Inside Science, Ancient Roman writings revealed

Thanks to AI, scientists can now read charred scrolls from Herculaneum for the first time.

Machine learning has enabled us to read ancient scrolls that became crushed and carbonised following the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD.

As part of the Vesuvius Challenge, computer scientists have used machine learning to successfully reveal 2,000 characters from the Herculaneum scrolls. These artefacts were charred to a crisp following the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. Papyrologist Federica Nicolardi has been translating the writings, and tells us what exactly has been deciphered. 

Following this week’s launch of NASA’s PACE satellite, NASA scientist Dr Susanne Craig tells us how the mission will be giving our planet a health check.  

Bird flu is still an issue. This month, scientists have reported that hundreds of penguin chicks have died from the virus in the Falklands. Meanwhile, in Argentina, avian flu has killed huge numbers of elephant seal pups. Professor Wendy Barclay, a virologist from Imperial College London, tells us more about the virus and how it can jump between species. 

Sunday 11th February is International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Physicist Dr Jess Wade, who has written hundreds of Wikipedia biographies of women and underrepresented scientists, reveals one of her favourite scientists that people haven’t heard of.  

Presenter: Victoria Gill 
Producers: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, Florian Bohr, Louise Orchard 
Assistant Producer: Jonathan Blackwell 
Researcher: Imaan Moin 
Editor: Martin Smith 
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth  

BBC Inside Science is produced in collaboration with the Open University.

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