Oily films and crystalline deposits are threatening plastic objects in cultural collections. This kind of degradation, known as “bloom,” is a result of plasticizer migration. In this article, researchers review various factors influencing bloom as well as analytical methods for investigating affected objects. Continue reading It’s not springtime, but plastics are in bloom
Archaeologists in Herculaneum, south of Italy, discovered a black, glassy material that turned out to be… a human brain. Continue reading A brain found in glass pieces
Modern non-invasive analytical techniques reveal what artists thought no one would ever see again. Here we present the story of a portrait that hides another artwork, buried in the layers of paint.
Continue reading Nothing to hide if you are famous
Laser light can be used to blast grime off stone surfaces without affecting the stone substrate underneath. Although laser cleaning can be used in conjunction with other methods to remove different types of contaminants, here we highlight an article that uses only laser cleaning to remove biofilm from a marble statue. Continue reading Green slime invasion deterred by laser guns! How finely-tuned light can be used to clean marble
Immunoassay biosensors make identifying animal proteins from egg or glue in cultural heritage objects an simple task. This effort to miniaturize and simplify analysis could bring material characterization to any conservation studio. Continue reading Protein analysis in heritage materials: from medical to conservation diagnosis with mini-biosensors
Heritagebites: Easy-to-digest research summaries in cultural heritage research 