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Researchers Looked Inside Egyptian Mummies Without Unwrapping Them. Here’s What They Found.

They can see so deeply that they can identify diseases and even study mummification techniques, all without physically opening the remains.

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The same machines used to diagnose a broken rib are helping researchers peer inside the dusty remains of a 2000-year-old Egyptian mummy. That’s essentially what’s happening as researchers turn hospital-grade CT scanners on ancient Egyptian mummies, allowing them to peel back the layers of delicate wrappings and fragile remains without physically disturbing any of it, according to a press release.

I have to get to this detail straightaway because it’s easily the most entertaining of the bunch: the researchers at the museum made clear in their press release that the “examination of the mummy remains was conducted outside of patient examination hours, at night.” Imagine sitting in a hospital waiting room for a routine scan while a 2,300-year-old mummy gets wheeled in next to you.........

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