WD-40, or “water displacement, formula 40”, was originally conceived to prevent planes from rusting. It wasn’t available on the open market until 1958, five years after its creation, and it only became available to the average consumer because WD-40 employees kept sneaking cans of the chemical out for personal use. But what truly publicised WD-40 was the aftermath of Hurricane Carla. Contractors ordered so much of the chemical for restoration in Texas and Louisiana that it was pushed into the public eye as rust’s public enemy number one. Read full article here
Research
Researcher uses AI to make texts that are thousands of years old readable
The Gilgamesh Epic, the oldest work of world literature, has been brought back to life by LMU researchers in the Electronic Babylonian Literature project. Using their new Fragmentarium tool, they have discovered hundreds of manuscripts, including the most recent tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic which dates from 130 BC – thousands of years after the earliest known version. This shows how highly valued the Epic was, even at a late period. With the public release of the Fragmentarium, anyone can now explore the thousands of cuneiform fragments and explore the ancient Babylonian literature. Read full article here
Merv
March 12, 2023
