http://tinyurl.com/369n9u (newscientist.com)
"The Stone's hieroglyphics were translated nearly two centuries ago, yet it has lost none of its mystique. Andrew Robinson looks for reasons why. What do a computer program for learning languages, a space mission in search of the building blocks of the solar system, a technique for deciphering the human genome and a Japanese glam rock group all have in common? The answer: the Rosetta Stone. That broken chunk of dark grey granite-like stone is used by scientists and rockers alike to invoke the idea of cracking a mysterious code and uncovering deep secrets. Weighing three-quarters of a tonne and dated 27 March 196 BC, the Rosetta Stone is the most famous object in the British Museum in London. For years a plain postcard bearing its image has outsold every other postcard in the museum's shop. A replica sits in the King's Library in the museum, where visitors can run their fingers over its hieroglyphic symbols."
"The Stone's hieroglyphics were translated nearly two centuries ago, yet it has lost none of its mystique. Andrew Robinson looks for reasons why. What do a computer program for learning languages, a space mission in search of the building blocks of the solar system, a technique for deciphering the human genome and a Japanese glam rock group all have in common? The answer: the Rosetta Stone. That broken chunk of dark grey granite-like stone is used by scientists and rockers alike to invoke the idea of cracking a mysterious code and uncovering deep secrets. Weighing three-quarters of a tonne and dated 27 March 196 BC, the Rosetta Stone is the most famous object in the British Museum in London. For years a plain postcard bearing its image has outsold every other postcard in the museum's shop. A replica sits in the King's Library in the museum, where visitors can run their fingers over its hieroglyphic symbols."
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