Another deciphering of the Voynich manuscript

[Duncan Head]

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/may/16/latin-hebrew-proto-romance-new-theory-on-voynich-manuscript

"This is just more aspirational, circular, self-fulfilling nonsense."

[Patrick Waterson]

It might be worth taking a look at his actual work before coming to conclusions.

[Duncan Head]

Bristol backtracks ....

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/may/17/university-backtracks-on-disputed-voynich-manuscript-theory

[Erpingham]

The confrontation between the academic departments and the press office must have been fun 

[Patrick Waterson]

The confrontation between the academic departments and the press office must have been fun 

I wonder who told the press office to run the story in the first place.


Asked for his reaction, Cheshire told the Guardian he felt "no disappointment at all" at the university's backtracking. "It was inevitable and expected, given the passion that the manuscript arouses, that a marginal group would find it difficult to accept new evidence," he said.

"The paper has been blind peer-reviewed and published in a highly reputable journal, which is the gold standard in scientific corroboration. Thus, all protocol was followed to the letter and the work is officially supported. Given time, many scholars will have used the solution for their own research of the manuscript and published their own papers, so the small tide of resistance will wane."

Bristol University said it would "seek further validation" in discussions with the journal. The Guardian has contacted the editor of Romance Studies for comment.