TED Radio Hour Found In Translation
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Dec 15, 2023 On this episode, guests include textual scientist Gregory Heyworth, economist Ralph Chami, microbiologist and nanotechnologist Fatima AlZahra'a Alatraktchi, and polyglot Lýdia Machová. The podcast explores topics such as rescuing and restoring damaged manuscripts, recovering ancient manuscripts and preserving cultural heritage, the value of whales in fighting climate change, challenges and valuing nature, bacterial communication and diagnostic devices, and the secrets of learning a new language.
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Rescuing A Lost Baroque Concerto
- Gregory Hayworth discovered a mold-stained concerto by Telamon in Dresden and spent years restoring it.
- His team performed the piece for the first time in centuries after multispectral imaging revealed the notes.
Light Reveals Hidden Text
- Multispectral imaging reveals text invisible to the naked eye by using ultraviolet to infrared wavelengths.
- Combined with algorithms, it uncovers earlier drafts, edits, and hidden layers of meaning in manuscripts.
Drafts Reveal Cultural Change
- Imaging drafts can expose authors' changing thoughts and cultural evolution across copies.
- Seeing struck-through words (e.g., Jefferson's 'subjects' → 'citizens') humanizes history and reveals intellectual shifts.