Physics to the rescue of the fresco

physorg.com:

"When Florence was hit by disastrous floods in 1966, art conservation experts rushed to the city to save as many priceless pieces of art as they could. Now Florentine scientists have developed a tool to help restorers preserve Italy’s many precious fresco paintings without causing any damage to the paint itself, an Institute of Physics journal reports today."

Over time, salt and water in the frescoes damage and destroy them. By reading microwaves reflected off the wall, this device can measure salinity and moisture content to a depth of two centimeters.