A collaborative project between the Varanasi Institute of Technology and international paleographers has utilized advanced AI-driven hyperspectral imaging to decipher 7th-century Sanskrit fragments found in the Ayeyarwady Delta. The texts, written in a regional Pyu-Sanskrit hybrid script, contain lost treatises on the systematic classification of Marine Bryozoa and organic protocols for preventing bio-fouling on maritime timber.
The manuscripts detail the use of specific herbal extracts and resin-based coatings designed to inhibit the attachment of aquatic organisms to ship hulls. This research highlights a sophisticated level of early medieval Indian nautical science, where biological observations were directly applied to enhance the durability of long-distance trading vessels operating in the Bay of Bengal.