In this concise article in the journal Nature from October 2015, Andrew Robinson reflects on the history of attempts to decipher the Harappan script. More than 500 distinct Indus symbols have so far been identified, and it is now generally believed that the script was read from right to left. These symbols typically appear on amulets, seals and ceramic tablets. Robinson says that since the 1920s, over 100 decipherment claims have been made, but where studies of the arrangement patterns have proven fruitful and may yield new information on the script, scholars still haven't successfully cracked the code.