WHAT do a computer program for learning languages, a space mission in search of the building blocks of the solar system, a technique for deciphering the human genome and a Japanese glam rock group all have in common? The answer: the Rosetta Stone.
That broken chunk of dark grey granite-like stone is used by scientists and rockers alike to invoke the idea of cracking a mysterious code and uncovering deep secrets. Weighing three-quarters of a tonne and dated 27 March 196 BC, the Rosetta Stone is the most famous object in the British Museum in London. For years a plain…
