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AI analysis says Dead Sea Scrolls are older than thought
AI analysis says Dead Sea Scrolls are older than thought

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AI analysis says Dead Sea Scrolls are older than thought

June 7 (UPI) -- The ancient Dead Sea Scrolls likely are much older than originally thought, a new artificial intelligence analysis suggests. The scrolls could be centuries older than initially thought, according to a study that combined radiocarbon dating with AI to better analyze the remnants of ancient documents, The Times of Israel reported. "The Dead Sea Scrolls ... completely changed the way we think about ancient Judaism and early Christianity," said Mladen Popovic, lead author of the study that was published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One. "Out of 1,000 manuscripts, a bit more than 200 are what we call biblical Old Testament," Popovic told CNN. "They are the oldest copies we have of the Hebrew Bible." Popovic is the dean of the Faculty of Religion, Culture and Society at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Archaeologists recovered thousands of remnants of scrolls that were first discovered in 1947 in the Judean Desert by Bedouin shepherds in an area that has become the West Bank. Instead of dating the scrolls based on the form of their lettering, researchers used carbon dating to analyze samples from 30 of the Dead Sea Scrolls that were provided by the Israel Antiquities Authority. They also created high-resolution copies of the scripts and used an AI-powered model called "Enoch" to analyze the textual characters contained in 135 scrolls. The study revealed the scrolls are older than initially thought, which is from the 3rd century B.C. to the 1st century A.D. A paleographic study of the text within the scrolls narrowed their origin to that timeframe in 1961, but little else was done to analyze their origin until now. The new study pretreated pieces of parchment to remove any chemical traces from prior studies before undertaking carbon dating, and AI analysis corroborates the results. It suggests some of the scrolls were one or two centuries older than originally thought, including Old Testament books like Ecclesiastes. The study also suggests literacy was much more widespread in the region. "These manuscripts are not just the earliest copy of these [Old Testament] books that survived," IAA Dead Sea Scrolls Unit leader Joe Uziel told The Times of Israel. They are "one of the oldest copies of these compositions ever written," he said. Only about 10% of the scrolls were studied, which Popovic said means there is a lot more to learn through more studies of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

AI analysis says Dead Sea Scrolls are older than thought
AI analysis says Dead Sea Scrolls are older than thought

UPI

timea day ago

  • Science
  • UPI

AI analysis says Dead Sea Scrolls are older than thought

Scroll conservationist Tanya Bitler displays parchment biblical fragments and a scroll section discovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority in the Muraba'at Cove in the Judean Desert at the IAA laboratories in Jerusalem on March 16, 2021. File Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo June 7 (UPI) -- The ancient Dead Sea Scrolls likely are much older than originally thought, a new artificial intelligence analysis suggests. The scrolls could be centuries older than initially thought, according to a study that combined radiocarbon dating with AI to better analyze the remnants of ancient documents, The Times of Israel reported. "The Dead Sea Scrolls ... completely changed the way we think about ancient Judaism and early Christianity," said Mladen Popovic, lead author of the study that was published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One. "Out of 1,000 manuscripts, a bit more than 200 are what we call biblical Old Testament," Popovic told CNN. "They are the oldest copies we have of the Hebrew Bible." Popovic is the dean of the Faculty of Religion, Culture and Society at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Archaeologists recovered thousands of remnants of scrolls that were first discovered in 1947 in the Judean Desert by Bedouin shepherds in an area that has become the West Bank. Instead of dating the scrolls based on the form of their lettering, researchers used carbon dating to analyze samples from 30 of the Dead Sea Scrolls that were provided by the Israel Antiquities Authority. They also created high-resolution copies of the scripts and used an AI-powered model called "Enoch" to analyze the textual characters contained in 135 scrolls. The study revealed the scrolls are older than initially thought, which is from the 3rd century B.C. to the 1st century A.D. A paleographic study of the text within the scrolls narrowed their origin to that timeframe in 1961, but little else was done to analyze their origin until now. The new study pretreated pieces of parchment to remove any chemical traces from prior studies before undertaking carbon dating, and AI analysis corroborates the results. It suggests some of the scrolls were one or two centuries older than originally thought, including Old Testament books like Ecclesiastes. The study also suggests literacy was much more widespread in the region. "These manuscripts are not just the earliest copy of these [Old Testament] books that survived," IAA Dead Sea Scrolls Unit leader Joe Uziel told The Times of Israel. They are "one of the oldest copies of these compositions ever written," he said. Only about 10% of the scrolls were studied, which Popovic said means there is a lot more to learn through more studies of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

AI Program Rewrites Timeline of Dead Sea Scrolls
AI Program Rewrites Timeline of Dead Sea Scrolls

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AI Program Rewrites Timeline of Dead Sea Scrolls

A newly developed AI model has allowed researchers to re-date many of the Dead Sea Scrolls, some of which now appear to be much older than previously thought. The University of Groningen announced the news in a June 4 press release. The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered between 1947 and 1956 in the Caves of Qumran, and in the decades since have recontextualized modern understandings of ancient Jewish practices as well as the Bible. Accurately dating the manuscripts is vital to understanding their influence, as well as the time at which they were AI model, known as Enoch, combined carbon-14 dating from 24 separate samples of Dead Sea Scrolls with an AI-driven handwriting analysis to examine micro-level ink-trace patterns on the scrolls. The model then compares known handwriting features with known radiocarbon dates, allowing the AI to understand how handwriting styles evolved throughout time. The AI model can predict the creation date of a given manuscript within 30 years, researchers results astounded scientists. Some scrolls, which were thought to have originated in the Hasmonaean period (150-50 B.C.) are now believed to be from several centuries earlier. Likewise, the Herodian script, which was believed to have been written in the mid-first century B.C., now appears to have been authored in the late second century B.C. "Enoch is the first complete machine-learning-based model that uses raw image inputs to produce probabilistic date predictions for ancient manuscripts," said Maruf Dali, the research team leader. They hope the technology can add similar context to other ancient manuscripts, which might help to understand the political and religious climates of the Program Rewrites Timeline of Dead Sea Scrolls first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 7, 2025

Some Dead Sea Scrolls may be even older than archaeologists thought, new study finds
Some Dead Sea Scrolls may be even older than archaeologists thought, new study finds

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Some Dead Sea Scrolls may be even older than archaeologists thought, new study finds

Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Many of the Dead Sea Scrolls, some of the most widely known archaeological finds of all time, may be older than once thought, according to a new study. The fresh analysis, which paired radiocarbon dating with artificial intelligence, determined some of the biblical manuscripts date to about 2,300 years ago, when their presumed authors lived, said Mladen Popović, lead author of the report published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One. Bedouin shepherds first spotted the scrolls by chance in the Judaean Desert, near the Dead Sea, in 1947. Archaeologists then recovered thousands of fragments belonging to hundreds of manuscripts from 11 caves, all near the site of Khirbat Qumran in what is now the West Bank. 'The Dead Sea Scrolls were extremely important when they were discovered, because they completely changed the way we think about ancient Judaism and early Christianity,' said Popović, who is also dean of the Faculty of Religion, Culture and Society at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. 'Out of around 1,000 manuscripts, a bit more than 200 are what we call biblical Old Testament, and they are the oldest copies we have of the Hebrew Bible. They gave us a lot of information about what the text looked like back then.' The scrolls are like a time machine, according to Popović, because they let scholars see what people were reading, writing and thinking at the time. 'They are physical, tangible evidence of a period of history that is crucial — whether you're Christian, Jewish or don't believe at all, because the Bible is one of the most influential books in the history of the world, so the scrolls allow us to study it as a form of cultural evolution,' he said. Almost none of the Dead Sea Scrolls — which were written mostly in Hebrew on parchment and papyrus — have dates on them. Based primarily on paleography, the study and deciphering of ancient writing and manuscripts, scholars have believed the manuscripts range from the third century BC to the second century AD. 'But now, with our project, we have to date some manuscripts already to the end of the fourth century BCE,' he said, meaning that the earliest scrolls could be up to 100 years older than previously thought. 'That's really exciting because it opens up new possibilities to think about how these texts were written and how they moved to other users and readers — outside of their original authors and their social circles,' Popović added. The findings will not only inspire further studies and affect historical reconstructions, according to the authors of the report, but will also unlock new prospects in the analysis of historical manuscripts. Earlier estimates of the manuscripts' age came from radiocarbon dating conducted in the 1990s. Chemist Willard Libby developed this method — used to ascertain the age of organic materials — in the late 1940s at the University of Chicago. Also known as carbon 14 dating, a chemical analysis of a sample, such as a fossil or manuscript, determines the quantity of carbon 14 atoms it contains. All living organisms absorb this element, but it starts to decay as soon as death occurs, so looking at how much is left can give a fairly accurate age of an organic specimen as old as about 60,000 years. Carbon dating has downsides, however. The analyzed sample is destroyed during the process, and some results can be misleading. 'The problem with earlier tests (on the scrolls) is that they didn't address the issue of castor oil,' Popović said. 'Castor oil is a modern invention, and it was used in the 1950s by the original scholars to make the text more legible. But it's a modern contaminant, and it skews the radiocarbon result to a much more modern date.' The study team first used new radiocarbon dating, applying more modern techniques, on 30 manuscripts, which revealed that most of them were older than previously thought. Only two were younger. The researchers then used high-resolution images of these newly dated documents to train an AI they developed, called Enoch after the Biblical figure who was the father of Methuselah. The scientists presented Enoch with more documents they had carbon-dated, but withheld the dating information, and the AI correctly guessed the age 85% of the time, according to Popović. 'In a number of cases, the AI even gave a narrower date range for the manuscripts than the carbon 14 did,' he said. Next, Popović and his colleagues fed Enoch more images from 135 different Dead Sea Scrolls that were not carbon-dated and asked the AI to estimate their age. The scientists rated the results as 'realistic' or 'unrealistic,' based on their own paleographic experience, and found that Enoch had given realistic results on 79% of the samples. Some of the manuscripts in the study were found to be 50 to 100 years older than formerly thought, Popović said. One sample from a scroll known to contain verse from the Book of Daniel was once believed to date to the second century BC. 'That was a generation after the original author,' Popović said, 'and now with the carbon 14, we securely move it (further back) to the time of the author.' Another manuscript, with verses from the Book of Ecclesiastes, also dates older, Popović added. 'The manuscript was previously dated on paleographic grounds to 175 to 125 BCE, but now Enoch suggests 300 to 240 BCE,' he said. Eventually, artificial intelligence could supplant carbon 14 as a method of dating manuscripts, Popović suggested. 'Carbon 14 is destructive,' he said, 'because you need to cut off a little piece of the Dead Sea Scroll, and then it's gone. It's only 7 milligrams, but it's still stuff that you lose. With Enoch, you don't have to do any of this. This a first step. There are all sorts of possibilities to improve Enoch further.' If the team pushes forward with Enoch's development, Popović believes it could be used to assess scripts such as Syriac, Arabic, Greek and Latin. Scholars who were not involved with the study were encouraged by the findings. Having both AI and an enhanced carbon 14 dating method allows a level of calibration across both methodologies that is helpful, according to Charlotte Hempel, a professor of Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Judaism at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. 'The pronounced pattern seems to be that AI offers a narrower window within the Carbon 14 window,' she said via email. 'I wonder whether this suggests a higher level of precision, which would be extremely exciting.' The study represents a first attempt to harness AI technology to extend existing scientific knowledge from carbon 14 dating of certain manuscripts to other manuscripts, said Lawrence H. Schiffman, Global Distinguished Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University. 'To some extent, it is not yet clear whether or not the new method will provide us with reliable information on texts that have not yet been Carbon-14 dated,' he added via email. 'The interesting comments regarding revision of the dating of some manuscripts that may be expected through further development of this approach or new carbon-14 dating, while not new to this study, constitute a very important observation about the field of Dead Sea Scrolls in general.' Commenting on the computational aspects of the study, Brent Seales, the Alumni Professor of Computer Science at the University of Kentucky, said the approach taken by the authors seems rigorous even if the sample sizes are small. Using AI to completely replace carbon dating may be premature, however. '(AI) is a useful tool to incorporate into the broader picture, and to make estimates in the absence of Carbon-14 based on the witness of other similar fragments,' Seales wrote in an email. 'Like everything with machine learning, and like a fine wine, it should get better over time and with more samples. The dating of ancient manuscripts is an extremely difficult problem, with sparse data and heavy constraints on access and expertise. Bravo to the team for this data-driven contribution that takes a massive step forward.'

The Most Challenging Questions in Jeopardy's History (According to AI)
The Most Challenging Questions in Jeopardy's History (According to AI)

Time​ Magazine

timea day ago

  • Entertainment
  • Time​ Magazine

The Most Challenging Questions in Jeopardy's History (According to AI)

This article is published by a partner of TIME. 'Jeopardy!' has captivated audiences for decades with its unique format of providing answers and having contestants respond with questions. With its fast-paced nature and broad range of categories, the show challenges not only the general knowledge of its contestants but also their ability to think quickly under pressure. Throughout its history, the show has used some incredibly difficult questions that have left even the most experienced contestants stumped. These questions often require precise knowledge in specialized fields, and despite their seemingly straightforward nature, the pressure of the game can cause even the brightest minds to falter. Over the years, 'Jeopardy!' has tested the knowledge of countless contestants, with some clues proving so challenging that they remain infamous in the show's history. Whether it's science, history, or pop culture, the difficulty of the clues often lies in their phrasing, the obscure details they demand, or the limited time in which contestants must respond. This article highlights 10 of the most challenging questions in 'Jeopardy!' history, focusing on why these clues stumped even the most seasoned players and the lessons we can learn from their difficulty. Thanks to AI, we can now analyze why these clues were so difficult and break down the specific aspects that caused them to perplex contestants. Let's dive into 10 of the hardest 'Jeopardy!' questions ever asked and see how even the most knowledgeable players struggled under the pressure. 1. Category: Science (2012) Clue:"Discovered in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls were written in Hebrew and this language." Answer: ' What is Aramaic?' Background: The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of ancient texts that have provided significant insight into early religious history, and while Hebrew is a commonly known language in this context, Aramaic was the other language featured in many of the scrolls. This $800 clue stumped all the contestants, demonstrating how even seemingly simple facts can become complicated under pressure. Aramaic is an ancient language spoken during the time of Jesus, but its obscure nature in the context of the scrolls made it difficult for contestants to recall quickly. Despite the relatively low point value, this question showed how unfamiliar or less commonly known languages can cause difficulty in fast-paced quiz environments. Aramaic's historical significance was key but not as easily recognized. The timing pressure caused contestants to second-guess their immediate response. Hebrew's prominence overshadowed Aramaic, causing confusion. The discovery date (1947) added a layer of complexity, tying it to the 20th century. Ancient languages like Aramaic are often overlooked in general knowledge trivia. 2. Category: Music (2018) Clue:"This dance seen here, performed in 3/4 time, became popular in Vienna and spread across Europe in the 1800s." Answer: ' What is the waltz?' Background: The waltz is one of the most iconic dances in European history, known for its graceful movements performed to music in 3/4 time. Despite its historical importance, this $2000 clue stumped all three contestants. The difficulty here wasn't necessarily in knowing the waltz, but rather in recognizing it within the context of the clue and responding quickly under pressure. The contestants struggled to come up with the term "waltz," as they likely overthought the answer, possibly considering other dances or wondering if it was too obvious. The 3/4 time signature gave a big hint, but contestants were hesitant to connect it to the waltz. The cultural significance of the waltz was immense, but it required rapid recall under pressure. The history of the dance in Vienna and Europe may have distracted contestants from recognizing the correct answer. Other dances like the minuet or the mazurka could have caused confusion in the contestants' minds. The $2000 value made the question particularly high stakes, adding more pressure. 3. Category: World Geography (2015) Clue:"This European capital's Vasa Museum houses a warship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628." Answer: ' What is Stockholm?' Background: The Vasa Museum in Stockholm is home to the Vasa ship, which tragically sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. Despite the fame of the Vasa ship, this clue left contestants stumped, especially given that it was a relatively straightforward geography question. The problem arose from the contestants' confusion about the European cities with notable maritime history. With multiple cities across Europe known for their naval connections, contestants had difficulty recalling Stockholm under time pressure, which led to a triple stumper. The historical importance of the Vasa ship made the clue valuable but not immediately recalled. The location of the museum in Stockholm was key but not universally known by all contestants. European geography involving maritime history may have caused contestants to overthink. The year (1628) was significant, but the city's historical ties to the event were not immediately apparent. The triple stumper highlighted how specific knowledge about European history and geography can cause confusion. 4. Category: Literature (2022) Clue:"The title of this 1961 Roald Dahl story is now used as military slang for someone who flies through dangerous situations." Answer: ' What is 'James and the Giant Peach'?' Background: In this Final Jeopardy! question, the answer "James and the Giant Peach" was famously elusive for all three contestants, despite the book's popularity. The clue's challenge was that the title had been adapted into a term used in military slang, which was not widely known outside of specific circles. The obscure link between the book's title and the slang caused confusion, as most contestants were more familiar with the story's plot than its extended use in military contexts. This clue demonstrates how even well-known works can be tough to recall when the reference point is an uncommon one. The military slang connection made the question more challenging than simply recalling the title. Roald Dahl's literary fame wasn't enough for some contestants to instantly recognize the slang use of the title. The uncommon reference to military slang created confusion. The children's book's popularity didn't translate into recognizing the slang term. Final Jeopardy's stakes added extra pressure, leading to hesitations in responding. The literary knowledge required combined with a non-literal interpretation of the title made it tricky. 5. Category: Television (2016) Clue:"The last name of this TV dad played by John Goodman was actually Harris; the show's creator changed it to honor his own dad." Answer: ' What is Conner?' (from Roseanne) Background: In this $2000 clue, contestants were asked about John Goodman's character on 'Roseanne.' While the show 'Roseanne' is a major part of television history, the clue referred to the character's original last name—Harris—and its change to Conner as a tribute to the show's creator. Contestants were stumped, possibly because the details were considered trivial and not essential to the show's plot or popular discussions. Many viewers at home might have guessed correctly, but under the pressure of the game, the connection to the character's last name was easily overlooked. The creator's personal connection to the character's name change made it a niche piece of trivia. The character of Dan Conner was iconic, but the name change was less well-known. Television history can involve subtle behind-the-scenes facts that aren't always widely publicized. The $2000 value added pressure, as contestants wanted to secure a significant score with this clue. Contestants may have focused on more prominent aspects of the show instead of character details. 6. Category: American History (2020) Clue:"Before the American Revolution, Crispus Attucks, a man of African and Native American descent, was killed in this 1770 event." Answer: ' What is the Boston Massacre?' Background: This clue, featured in Final Jeopardy!, stumped all contestants despite being one of the most significant events leading to the American Revolution. The challenge stemmed from the specific historical context, where Crispus Attucks' death in the Boston Massacre was a pivotal moment in pre-revolutionary America. The contestants had difficulty connecting the year 1770 to the event, and many were unsure of the exact details. Although the Boston Massacre is a key part of American history, its significance in this particular context wasn't immediately obvious to the players. The Boston Massacre was a well-known event, but the association with Attucks added complexity. The year 1770 didn't immediately resonate with all contestants under the time crunch. The specifics of Attucks' death required contestants to recall obscure historical details. The question's phrasing caused confusion about the event's historical importance. The Final Jeopardy pressure made it harder for contestants to connect the dots quickly. Understanding pre-revolutionary events was crucial, yet not everyone could recall it under the time limit. 7. Category: Word Origins (2019) Clue:"From the Latin for 'to roll', it's the type of chair seen here." Answer: ' What is a rotary chair?' Background: This $1600 clue stumped all three contestants, despite the fact that the answer seemed straightforward. The clue's challenge stemmed from the unfamiliarity of the term "rotary chair," which was a specific type of office furniture. Contestants were confused by the term's Latin roots and were unfamiliar with this more obscure category in furniture design. The connection between the Latin word for "to roll" and the type of chair seen in the visual was lost on them due to the obscure nature of the terminology. The specific term "rotary chair" was not part of everyday knowledge for most contestants. The visual aid created confusion rather than clarity, as contestants were unsure of the reference. Latin etymology required contestants to recall specialized language knowledge. Rotary chairs are often associated with office settings but are not universally recognized. The word's origin added complexity, as contestants were distracted by the unfamiliar term. Office furniture terminology is less likely to be top-of-mind in general trivia. 8. Category: Ancient History (2017) Clue:"Built circa 1350 B.C.E., the Temple of Luxor honored this Egyptian god and was a site of an annual festival." Answer: ' Who is Amun?' Background: The Temple of Luxor is one of the most impressive structures from ancient Egypt, but the reference to Amun, the god it honored, was challenging for contestants. The clue required contestants to recall Egyptian mythology and the deities associated with monumental temples, which not all players could do under pressure. The specificity of the festival and the god's role was difficult for many to recall, resulting in another stumper. Egyptian gods like Ra and Osiris are more famous, making Amun harder to remember quickly. Amun's lesser fame compared to other Egyptian gods made it tough to recall. The festival at Luxor added to the complexity, as it wasn't a widely recognized historical event. Ancient Egyptian history requires knowledge of a vast pantheon of deities, complicating quick recall. Egyptian mythology is rich but often difficult to connect with specific monuments. Luxor's prominence didn't necessarily extend to widespread knowledge of its religious significance. 9. Category: Food & Drink (2021) Clue:"Worcestershire sauce is made with molasses, anchovies and this vinegar whose name is French for 'sour wine.'" Answer: ' What is vin aigre?' Background: This etymology question proved too difficult for all three contestants, despite the clues being relatively straightforward. The vinegar in question, vin aigre (French for 'sour wine'), is a key component of Worcestershire sauce but was a tricky detail for contestants to recall under pressure. The need for knowledge of both the French language and obscure details of food production, combined with the complexity of the question, stumped the players. Contestants likely recognized Worcestershire sauce's key ingredients but struggled to connect them to this specific type of vinegar. The French terminology was difficult to recall quickly under the time pressure. The obscure nature of vin aigre made it hard to connect with everyday food knowledge. Worcestershire sauce itself is widely known, but not the specific details of its ingredients. Food etymology is a niche area of knowledge that doesn't come up often in general trivia. The challenge of language knowledge combined with food trivia made this question particularly tough. Vinegar types are many, and remembering the French term under pressure was difficult. 10. Category: Sports History (2019) Clue:"The first official international cricket match was played between the USA and this country in 1844." Answer: ' What is Canada?' Background: This surprising fact about sports history stumped all contestants during Final Jeopardy. While cricket is known as a global sport, the clue's connection between the USA and Canada as participants in the first official international match was a difficult one to recall. Cricket's early history in North America is often overshadowed by more popular sports like baseball and football. The specificity of the year 1844, combined with a lack of familiarity with cricket, made this clue a true challenge for contestants. Cricket's early history in North America isn't widely discussed in modern sports trivia. The year 1844 was an obscure reference, adding an additional layer of difficulty. The USA and Canada's cricket rivalry was surprising to many contestants who were unfamiliar with this sports history. The obscure nature of early international sports matches often causes confusion in trivia settings. Cricket's global dominance outside North America made it harder for contestants to connect to the U.S. The sports history of cricket in North America is less prominent in contemporary discussions. Conclusion on Challenging Jeopardy Questions These 10 challenging questions highlight the intricate balance between knowledge, timing, and the specific context of 'Jeopardy!' trivia. What may seem like a straightforward question can quickly become an insurmountable challenge due to the speed and pressure of the game. These clues demonstrate that while knowledge is essential, 'Jeopardy!' contestants also need to be quick thinkers and adept at recalling even the most obscure details. Ultimately, these difficult questions remind us that trivia is not just about having facts in our head—it's about the ability to connect those facts under pressure. Whether it's obscure historical knowledge, scientific details, or literary references, these 'Jeopardy!' clues show that even the brightest minds can be stumped by the complexity and timing of the game. Related Articles: About the Authors: Richard D. Harroch is a Senior Advisor to CEOs, management teams, and Boards of Directors. He is an expert on M&A, venture capital, startups, and business contracts. He was the Managing Director and Global Head of M&A at VantagePoint Capital Partners, a venture capital fund in the San Francisco area. His focus is on internet, digital media, AI and technology companies. He was the founder of several Internet companies. His articles have appeared online in Forbes, Fortune, MSN, Yahoo, Fox Business and Richard is the author of several books on startups and entrepreneurship as well as the co-author of Poker for Dummies and a Wall Street Journal-bestselling book on small business. He is the co-author of a 1,500-page book published by Bloomberg on mergers and acquisitions of privately held companies. He was also a corporate and M&A partner at the international law firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. He has been involved in over 200 M&A transactions and 250 startup financings. He can be reached through LinkedIn. Dominique Harroch is the Chief of Staff at She has acted as a Chief of Staff or Operations Leader for multiple companies where she leveraged her extensive experience in operations management, strategic planning, and team leadership to drive organizational success. With a background that spans over two decades in operations leadership, event planning at her own start-up and marketing at various financial and retail companies. Dominique is known for her ability to optimize processes, manage complex projects and lead high-performing teams. She holds a BA in English and Psychology from U.C. Berkeley and an MBA from the University of San Francisco. She can be reached via LinkedIn.

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