One of the city’s heritage science experts may have found the answer. 

Professor Tim Wess this week become the first Australian scientist to be published in the international History Science Journal, using “citizen science”. 

Readers, book lovers and paper-collectors will be familiar with the changing colour of pages, the smell of aging paper and the fragility of the written word. 

When looking through The Daily Advertiser archives, Charles Sturt University's dean of science found editions from across the last century were yellowing and falling apart.  

But the change was more obvious in certain years. 

Professor Wess said if it continued, more than the words would be lost. 

“Most of our history is written on parchment and then on paper,” Professor Wess said. “If we lose it, we lose our history.”

Some historians believe the change was due to the increased accessing of the World War editions.

Using an application, Professor Wess developed a protocol to make colour measurements the phone itself could calibrate. 

He now believes the yellowing can be put down to a change in paper type at about 1912. 

With this knowledge, heritage scientists can more effectively preserve these documents.