Sounds from Pompeii

**Nick** · 27th February 06, 07:19 PM

This is just outright incredible. Using the grooves in pottery found at Pompeii, arcaeologists have been able to record sound from Pompeii including identifiable laughter. The page is in French, as is the clip, but you'll know the recording from the waveforms and the sound (unless you speak French, that is.)
http://www.zalea.org/article.php3?id_article=496
Click on "Lire la video"

**Blu (Ontario)** · 27th February 06, 07:56 PM

I remain unconvinced. Perhaps if the material was properly published in a scientific journel and peer reviewed I might change my mind. I guess I'm a skeptic at heart. But wouldn't it be amazing if it were true.

**Nick** · 27th February 06, 08:07 PM

I believe this is a very recent find. I'd keep an eye out. It takes a bit to get into a peer-reviewed journal.

**Jerry** · 27th February 06, 08:15 PM

If real, this would be very interesting.

**Southern Breeze** · 27th February 06, 08:29 PM

Here's more info on the subject:

http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/langu...es/002875.html

**Jeremiah** · 27th February 06, 08:30 PM

I've heard of this even before Nick brought it up. I've heard they've been able to reproduce the effect in modern day labs...

**GlassMan** · 27th February 06, 11:20 PM

Originally Posted by Southern Breeze

Here's more info on the subject:

http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/langu...es/002875.html

Very good article debunking the whole thing. It just doesn't have the ring of truth to it, even before finding out that the whole thing was an Internet April Fool's day joke based on old discredited experiments.

And the minute the technology shows up on CSI I'm always suspect. CSI is quite possibly the worst thing that could have happened to real crime scene investigators and prosecutors. While intrigueing and loosely based on science, the show is wildly off the mark in so many ways. It vastly overstates the accuracy of the scientific methods available to real investigators, makes complicated machinery available in only one or two locations in the entire country seem like commonplace inventory for every crime lab, and often references science of highly questionable provinence. My partner used to be professional Crime Scene Investigator for a well-funded police department and he was constantly frustrated by the expectations created by the show CSI. Juries expect police to be able to do everything they see on CSI, even if it's not real. Even police officials, such as his old Chief get irrational expectations. When some blood was collected at a crime scene, the Chief actually asked him if he had run the sample through the departments DNA lab. She had just assumed that as a part of the crime scene investigation budget that there was such a lab in her department. She didn't realize, because that type of work had never been her speciality, that usually there is only one certified DNA lab per state in addition to the FBI lab and that some states don't even have a single DNA lab in their boundaries and rely entirely upon the FBI or a neighboring state for their DNA work. But if the investigators on the show had to wait 3 to 6 months for DNA results to come back they wouldn't be able to solve the crime in an hour. So realism goes out the window.

Okay, enough of my complaining about the lack of realism in CSI.

**646guy** · 28th February 06, 07:29 AM

Hmmmm....electronic vioce phenomenon at work?

**Planopiper** · 28th February 06, 07:37 AM

I remember this being the premise for a sci-fi story I read a long time ago. In the story someone ended up with a recording of the voice of Christ, I think. I don't remember any of more details. It's an interesting concept, but I think there's a big gap between concept and reality. Think Jurasic Park.