Interesting debate going on in the maritime arch world.... Should lead artifacts be reused for modern scientific research? Elena Perez-Alvaro explains: “Roman lead is essential for conducting these experiments because it offers purity and such low levels of radioactivity — all the more so the longer it has spent underwater — which current methods for producing this metal cannot reach.” “Lead extracted today is naturally contaminated with the isotope Pb-210, which prevents it from being used as shielding for particle detectors,” adds physicist Fernando González Zalba from the University of Cambridge. “Underwater archaeologists see destruction of heritage as a loss of our past, our history, whilst physicists support basic research to look for answers we do not yet have,” remarks Perez-Alvaro.”
Posted on: Sun, 01 Dec 2013 17:52:37 +0000
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