David Guerra

Mr. Porfido

Web & Design

4/24/15

Period-6

In 2001, the Taliban wiped out 1700 years of history in a matter of seconds, by blowing up ancient Buddha statues in central Afghanistan with dynamite. They proceeded to do so after an attempt at bringing down the 175-foot tall sculptures with anti-aircraft artillery had failed. Sadly, the event was just the first in a series of atrocitiesthat have robbed the world of some of its most prized cultural heritage. But historical architecture is also under threat from calamities which might well escape our control, such as earthquakes and climate change. The thought of losing a piece of our collective history is a bleak one. But if loss can't be avoided, technology can lend a hand. Now CyArk, a non-profit company founded by an Iraqi-born engineer, is using groundbreaking laser scanning to ensure that at the very least incredibly accurate digital versions of the world's treasures will stay with us forever.