Researchers at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies have successfully deciphered a series of fragmented 8th-century Sharada script documents recovered from the Gilgit-Baltistan region. Using a novel neural network trained on medieval epigraphy, the team uncovered a lost scientific treatise detailing the behavior of high-viscosity fluids. The text provides a rigorous theoretical framework for what modern science classifies as non-Newtonian fluid dynamics, specifically focusing on the flow characteristics of organic resins and fermented pastes used in ancient construction.
The manuscript outlines a series of experiments and observations regarding shear-thickening properties, which were applied to the development of early hydraulic cements and seismic-resistant mortars. By modeling the resistance of materials to sudden impact, the ancient authors formulated early versions of the power-law fluid equation. This discovery offers unprecedented insight into the intersection of theoretical physics and material science in early medieval India, showing a level of experimental sophistication previously thought to be exclusive to post-Renaissance Europe.