Mark Knowles > 28-01-2026, 12:47 PM
DG97EEB > 30-01-2026, 09:09 PM
(28-01-2026, 12:47 PM)Mark Knowles Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.I had a good conversation with Professor Michael Collins who is an expert in this area to see what he thought. It was very positive and I am glad I did so. I think it helps to talk to a specialist rather than non-specialists such as myself and other Voynich researchers commenting on what is possible with the technology.
First of all, he said that collecting DNA from the manuscript could be done without harming the manuscript. He said that within 5 to 10 years it should be possible to locate fairly accurately the region in which the parchment was produced from the DNA in the animal skin. He said that in sampling the DNA from the vellum, human DNA would also be extracted as a bonus. He said that there is a difficulty that the fragments of DNA extracted tend to be quite short and so reassembling them is very difficult.
Nevertheless, in the not too distant future we will be likely able to tell whereabouts the manuscript came from and also have some samples of the DNA of humans who came into contact with it, without damaging the manuscript. He also pointed out that the cost of doing this is falling.
Professors Collins referred to the work on the Da Vinci DNA that I linked to.
So, I would say that we should watch this space and see how this technology develops.
Mark Knowles > 30-01-2026, 10:23 PM
(30-01-2026, 09:09 PM)DG97EEB Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.(28-01-2026, 12:47 PM)Mark Knowles Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.I had a good conversation with Professor Michael Collins who is an expert in this area to see what he thought.
Professors Collins referred to the work on the Da Vinci DNA that I linked to.
So, I would say that we should watch this space and see how this technology develops.
Professor Matthew Collins at Cambridge?
DG97EEB > 30-01-2026, 10:54 PM
(30-01-2026, 10:23 PM)Mark Knowles Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.(30-01-2026, 09:09 PM)DG97EEB Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.(28-01-2026, 12:47 PM)Mark Knowles Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.I had a good conversation with Professor Michael Collins who is an expert in this area to see what he thought.
Professors Collins referred to the work on the Da Vinci DNA that I linked to.
So, I would say that we should watch this space and see how this technology develops.
Professor Matthew Collins at Cambridge?
Yes, do you know him? I think he is based in Denmark now.