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Scientists in upstate New York are working to restore a 10th Century manuscript which is the only known copy of the writings of the Greek mathematician Archimedes.
The text was wiped out by a monk 200 years after it was written and covered by other writing, but the scientists at Rochester Institute of Technology are using some of the latest technology to uncover the original words.
The 170-page manuscript has been described by one expert as Archimedes' "brain in a book".
 Scientists are studying five of the manuscript's 170 pages |
The RIT scientists are now using digital cameras and ultra-violet and infra-red filters to see through the overwritten material to what remains of the original words and drawings.
The text was sold at auction for $2m in 1998 and the scientists are hoping their work will persuade the museum where it is now kept that they should be given the entire manuscript to restore.
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