Caffeine and Cognition plus AI-driven Reconstruction of a Roman Board Game

Two diverse stories are explored this week. First, observational data from long-term health studies suggest that moderate caffeine intake may be associated with slower cognitive decline and reduced dementia risk, though researchers caution that correlation does not prove causation. Second, a Roman board game from Coriovallum is being reinterpreted using AI to simulate rule sets against wear patterns on a limestone playing surface, revealing how Romans may have played a blocking game now named Ludus Ciovalli. The work highlights how AI can augment classical archaeology to texture our view of ancient life.

Overview

This week’s Nature Briefing pairs a health-focused observational study with a compelling archaeology puzzle solved, in part, by artificial intelligence. The caffeine story tackles cognitive aging, while the board-game investigation blends archaeology with computational modeling to illuminate an ancient pastime.

Story 1: Caffeine and cognitive aging

The first story draws on two long-running health studies, the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, to track caffeine consumption and cognitive function over 43 years. With data from around 130,000 participants, researchers found that moderate caffeine intake—typically one to two cups of tea or two to three cups of coffee daily—was associated with slower cognitive decline and a lower risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. The study also notes that even lower intake levels conferred some benefit compared with no caffeine, while higher consumption still showed protective signals, though the effect size was small and interpretation must be cautious because this is observational data.

Crucially, the researchers underscore that correlation is not causation and that many factors could influence cognitive trajectories, including medications and other lifestyle variables. They also test whether genetic susceptibility modulates caffeine’s effects by examining APOE4, a variant linked to higher Alzheimer's risk. The team reports that caffeine’s protective association appeared to persist even among APOE4 carriers, an observation a researcher highlighted as particularly interesting.

"Moderate caffeine intake is linked to slower cognitive decline and lower dementia risk." - Nick Petridge Howe

Story 2: Reconstructing Ludus Ciovalli, a Roman board game

The second story looks far back in time to the Roman era, where a grey limestone playing piece found in the Netherlands showed wear and scoring lines suggesting it was used as part of a game. A team led by Walter Christ combined classical archaeology methods with artificial intelligence to test how the stone might have been used. They configured two AI agents to play against each other using possible rule sets drawn from known European games and ran thousands of rounds for each rule set. They then compared the AI-driven moves with the observed wear on the stone to identify the rule set that best matched the physical evidence.

From this exercise, the researchers identified nine rule sets consistent with the wear patterns, all variations of a blocking-type game in which players move pieces to prevent opponents from moving. These games have parallels in Scandinavia from later centuries, but the analysis suggests a much earlier Roman origin. The team named the game Ludus Ciovalli, after the Coriovallum site where the stone originated, and the work demonstrates a novel fusion of archaeology and AI to reframe what we know about ancient leisure activities.

"They found nine rule sets that seemed consistent with this wear." - Walter Christ

Closing reflections

Across these stories lies a common theme: observational data and AI-enabled analysis can illuminate areas that are otherwise opaque, though interpretation must be careful and contextual. The caffeine study reframes discussions about diet, aging, and brain health, while the Ludus Ciovalli research opens doors to exploring everyday life in antiquity through computational methods. Readers are invited to explore the linked show notes for further details and to sign up for additional updates on these topics.

"Combining these tools kind of opens up a new way of looking at things." - Benjamin Thompson