Footnote 1 – New Scientific Techniques to Measure Scroll Deterioration

Racemization refers to a change in molecular structure that occurs when living tissues die: Left-handed isomers of amino acids of proteins are gradually replaced by non-protein, right-handed forms. The ratio of left-handed to right-handed forms provides evidence of the time that has elapsed since the death of the organism. The amino acid conversion rate from left-handed to right-handed forms varies with conditions of temperature, acidity, humidity and the molecular structure of the amino acids and, therefore, racemization dating cannot be precise. However this technique, used with determinations of the collagen/gelatin ratio, provides useful information about when and how much scroll deterioration has occurred.