The Year That Was: Revelations Made Possible By Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI), a set of technologies aimed at mimicking human cognitive functions, has in recent times helped with several unexpected revelations that seemed impossible otherwise. As we inch closer to 2025, here's a look at four instances when AI helped uncover new facts previously unknown:

Herculaneum Scrolls

With AI and high-resolution X-rays, three researchers decoded over 2,000 characters from the rolled Herculaneum scroll, bringing to the fore the first full passages from papyri, which survived the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.

These hundreds of brittle ancient scrolls, all charred, could have crumbled if somebody had attempted to unfurl the truth, thereby making any trace of script illegible. Although these remain unopened, their content now lies within reach, thanks to AI.

The artefacts were recovered from a building thought to be the house of Julius Caesar's father-in-law. They revealed an unprecedented cache of information related to ancient Rome and Greece, CNN reported.

The computer scientists, who earlier started the Vesuvius Challenge, designed to accelerate the discoveries made on the scrolls, hoped they would be able to unlock 90 per cent of the four scrolls discovered by the end of this year.

Whale Calls

This year, scientists decoded various unknown complexities in whale communication by analysing thousands of recorded sequences of sperm whale clicks with the help of artificial intelligence.

Although they knew how the enigmatic clicks made by sperm whales varied in tempo, rhythm and length, they couldn't understand what they were trying to communicate through these sounds. With the advent of AI, the scientists analysed 9,000 recorded click sequences, called codas, representing the voice of around 60 sperm whales in the Caribbean Sea.

This may help humans communicate better with marine animals in future.

Ancient Symbols

With AI's assistance, archaeologists working in Peru were able to discover 303 unknown giant symbols carved in the Nazca Desert.

Situated 500 metres above sea level and around 50 kilometres inland from Peru's south coast, these symbols were discovered in the desert beginning in the early 20th century. These were able to survive as the dry desert region is sparsely populated, not affected by flooding and is highly unsuitable for growing crops.

Among the carvings are birds, human-like figures with headdresses, plants, spiders, decapitated heads and an orca wielding a knife.

Building Blocks Of Life

AI models have helped researchers better understand strings of molecules that form proteins, called the building blocks of life.

Built from around 20 amino acids, proteins can be combined in almost endless ways. They fold themselves into complex patterns in three-dimensional space and help form hair, skin and tissue cells.

The latest iteration of the AlphaFold Protein Structure Database, has helped predict the structure of almost all 200 million known proteins through the amino acid sequences. This tool has been utilised by at least two million researchers globally.