Can't Explain It, Don't Understand It

Beinecke Library

A 600-year-old mystery has resurfaced, still no closer to a resolution. What is called the Voynich manuscript, after the antique-book dealer who bought it 100 years ago, is written in an incomprehensible language accompanied by drawings of unknown plants, women bathing, and astronomical images. It has been called a code and a hoax, but now a group of scientists say they have found linguistic patterns in it that suggest it is indeed made up of meaningful words (story, slideshow): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22975809