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Scientists have uncovered a fragment of the Gospel of Mark, written on papyrus and later used to make an Egyptian mummy mask. Researchers believe the text, scheduled to be published later this year, dates to the 80s A.D. If they are correct, it is the first New Testament manuscript discovered from the first century.

Most Bible scholars agree the Gospel of Mark was written in the late 60s in Rome, but it is not surprising a copy of the text could have made its way to Egypt less than 20 years later, Craig Evans, professor of New Testament studies at Acadia Divinity College in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, said. “In the Roman Empire mail moved almost as quickly as it does today. Something written in Rome could be in Egypt being read within a few weeks.”

The mummies of Egyptian pharaohs wore masks made of gold, but common people used papyrus, paint, and glue. Because papyrus was so expensive, they often repurposed sheets that had already been used for writing. Recently scientists developed a method to remove the glue of mummy masks without harming the ink on the paper, and hundreds of texts are being uncovered. These texts include classical Greek writings, copies of stories by the Greek poet Homer, business papers, and personal letters. “From a single mask, it’s not strange to recover a couple dozen or even more new texts,” Evans told Live Science.

Several factors are used to date the ancient texts. Because some of the papyri in these masks are letters or business papers, researchers sometimes find dates written on them. The style of handwriting, features of the mask (e.g., its design and artwork), a date in the tomb or in the sarcophagus, as well as carbon-14 dating all help determine the age of a text.

Mechanical nose

Scientists from the University of Manchester and the University of Bari in Italy have developed biosensors that enable machines to smell more accurately than humans can.

The researchers used odor-binding proteins from human nose mucous and changed the way the proteins react, enabling them to recognize different types of chemicals. The researchers coupled these modified proteins to transistors and then measured the unique changes in current as the proteins reacted to various odors. As the machine “smells” the odor, it sends a message that users can decode, allowing machines, for the first time, to differentiate a variety of smells with acute sensitivity.

The researchers believe the machines could have many industrial uses such as detecting spoiled food or air pollution. —J.B.

Sewage surprise

Scientists at Arizona State University, Tempe, struck gold while quantifying different metals in sewage sludge from around the country. They discovered as much as $13 million worth of metals in the sludge produced in a year by a city with a population of 1 million people. The metals include $2.6 million in gold and silver.

Although it would not be feasible to extract all of the metals, extraction could help cities offset some of the costs of disposal, the study’s lead author, Paul Westerhoff, told Science magazine.

Precious metals like gold may find their way into sewers from mining, electroplating, electronics, jewelry manufacturing, or the automotive industry. “The next thing is to look at whether it’s economically or technically viable” to extract the metals, Westerhoff said. “We believe it is.” —J.B.