Daily News Lesson

SHOW ALL

Feb. 27, 2024, 5:09 p.m.

Researchers use AI to decipher ancient scrolls from near Vesuvius

SUMMARY

It's the first U.S.-built spacecraft to land on the moon in more than 50 years, and the first ever by a private company. The Odysseus lander took off from Cape Canaveral last week and made it to the lunar surface on Thursday. The Houston-based company Intuitive Machines created the spacecraft and the trip is key to NASA's goal of returning to the moon with a manned mission.

View the transcript of the story.

News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

WARM UP QUESTIONS

  1. When and Where did Mount Vesuvius erupt?
  2. What find from Herculaneum can now be deciphered because of AI?
  3. Who is researching the scroll found in Herculaneum?
  4. How does AI help researchers decipher the scroll?
  5. What have researchers found so far?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

What other ways do you think artificial intelligence could help us better understand history? What might be some downsides to using such methods?

Media literacy: Who else would you want to hear from to understand how AI can transform academic research?

Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to find out more about?

FOR MORE

What students can do: Learn more about the technology involved in deciphering the charred scrolls in this article from the Guardian.

Fill out this form to share your thoughts on Classroom’s resources. Sign up for NewsHour Classroom’s ready-to-go Daily News Lessons delivered to your inbox each week.

Recent Daily News Lessons

vote

Daily News Lesson

Monitoring the Midterms: What El-Sayed's primary win means for Democrats in November

A progressive epidemiologist from the suburbs of Detroit, El-Sayed will take on Republican Mike Rogers in November's general election

prwatercrisis-e1786134357821

Daily News Lesson

Drought and aging infrastructure plunge Puerto Rico into a water crisis

Learn about the ways Puerto Rico is managing a severe drought

Wildfires burn in Washington state

Daily News Lesson

How AI cameras are detecting wildfires before they get out of control

Learn about the dangerous wildfire smoke blanketing wide regions of the U.S.

Dr. Lonnie G. Bunch III poses with his President's Award backstage at the 48th NAACP Image Awards in Pasadena

Daily News Lesson

Lonnie Bunch on how the Smithsonian can help America understand its identity

Learn about how the Smithsonian's director uses history for future learning

SUPPORTED BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY:

PBS News Hour Classroom

Copyright © 2025 News Hour Production LLC. All Rights Reserved

Illustrations by Annamaria Ward