THE MICROBIOLOGY STUDIES ON LASCAUX
NOW MADE PUBLIC ... A BIG STEP TOWARDS TRANSPARENCY |
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A big step towards transparency of the research on the conservation of the paintings and engravings in the cave of Lascaux has just been made. The page "Chronique de Lascaux" of the Ministry of Culture and Communication website has just been enriched with a new section entitled "Programmes de Recherches" (Research Programs) which presents some of the studies requested or approved by the Scientific Council. Thus, the final reports on the studies performed in the framework of the "Microbial ecology" and "Microbiology-Microclimate" programs, that the LIST had in vain asked on several occasions - from the Ministry and the Scientific Council - since September 2011 that they should be made public, are from now on accessible to the public. They can be downloaded either through the links indicated on the "Chronique de Lascaux" page of the Ministry's website, or through the following links: - for the final report on the "Microbial Ecology" program, click here - for the synthesis report on the study of test zones PR1, PR2 and PR3, conducted within the "Microbiology-Microclimate" program, click here - for the final report on the study of test zones PR4 and PR5, click here At first sight, these reports confirm the impressions collected by M. Goldberg during his participation to a session of the Scientific Council in December 2011 (see M. Goldberg's report on this topic published on the LIST website). That these final reports are now published will enable the scientific community, and specifically the LIST's experts in microbiology, to: - appreciate the progress made during the last few years in the characterization of the Lascaux microbes, in the understanding of the factors that triggered the crisis of the years 2000, and in the definition of the preventive and/or curative actions to be taken to limit the impact of a new microbial invasion which still remains possible. - to suggest to the Scientific Council new orientations, new techniques, new approaches that would be complementary to those envisaged by this council. The LIST wishes to express its deep gratitude to those who, within the administration, have worked for this opening towards the scientific community and the public, more particularly Mr Marc Drouet, Director of Archeology at the Ministry of Culture and Communication and Mrs Muriel Mauriac, curator of the Lascaux cave, who expressed during recent meetings with the LIST spokesman their commitment to improve the diffusion of the scientific information related to Lascaux. |
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