July 14, 2026
DMSE researcher identifies first known Maya scientist
Archaeologist Franco Rossi and colleagues decipher the signature on eighth-century astronomical calculations, revealing the first known identity of a Maya scientist.
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The Maya are renowned for their sophisticated knowledge of astronomy and math, but no individual scientist had ever been identified—until now. Franco Rossi, an archaeology researcher in MIT’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and colleagues discovered the signature of an eighth-century mathematician, Sak Tahn Waax, alongside complex astronomical calculations at Xultun, Guatemala, where Maya codices were likely produced, reports Laura Martín Agudelo. “If there’s going to be a name … this would be the most logical place,” Rossi said.
Read the full story in Science.
