Writing

A new study suggests handwriting on paper leads to greater brain activity and memory retention than using a stylus on a tablet. The researchers hypothesize the spatial details of writing on paper may explain why it enhances the encoding of information.

Research analyzing brainwave patterns in both children and young adults while they wrote by hand and typed on a keyboard reveals distinct brain activity between the activities, suggesting learning may be more effective when accompanied by handwriting.

A team of Australian researchers has developed a novel early detection test for Parkinson’s disease based on a short series of drawing and writing tasks. The team is aiming to move through final trial stages and bring the new test to market by 2022.

Melding the worlds of art and computer science, two Danish artists have developed a fascinating AI project called Booksby.ai, an online bookshop generated by AI - from the books and covers, to the reviews and pictures of people reviewing the books.

Imagine if you were working with a robot that could leave you written messages, or draw diagrams to explain concepts. Such a scenario has come a step closer to reality, as a university student has taught a robot how to copy what we write, and what we draw.

​Four years ago, New York/Detroit-based startup Astrohaus released the Freewrite, a "smart" electronic typewriter designed for distraction-free writing. Now, the company is crowdfunding the 50-percent smaller and lighter Traveler laptop – and its big selling point is what it CAN'T do.

The first written records of the number "0" were believed to be tied between a temple and a manuscript found in India, but now a team from Oxford has used carbon dating to crown the winner. The Bakhshali manuscript appears to be about 500 years older.

The discovery of an ancient Egyptian “billboard” might turn back the clock on when hieroglyphic writing was thought to be introduced to the general population. The inscriptions date back to about 3,250 BCE and show a form of writing that was thought to only be used by the ruling class at that time.

​In a comment piece in Nature, astrophysicist and author Mario Livio discusses a recently rediscovered 1939 essay by Sir Winston Churchill in which he discusses the possibility of life on other planets and the exploration of the Solar System.

With the humble handwritten signature still the most commonly used form of biometric used to verify someone's identity, researchers have developed software that leverages the motion detection capabilities of a smartwatch to verify a signature as it is written.

Researchers have used an algorithm to analyze Shakespeare's writing style and some of his contemporaries, and determined which of his plays were likely collaborations and with whom. For the first time, an upcoming scholarly collection will credit Christopher Marlowe as co-author on Henry VI.

​​Is it possible to receive a newly hand-written letter from Abraham Lincoln? Of course not, but thanks to research being carried out at University College London, you could now get a computer-written facsimile of one.