Model Of Mummy's Head Made Without Unwrapping

jekluk writes "This story in World Science has a cool picture. Basically they used CT scanning to create a 3D model of a mummy's head without unwrapping a stitch of the mummy. Looks very lifelike, just as if the guy is asleep. The details are shown down to the mole on his forehead."

Comments

Re:age?

[Bowling Moses]

I'm no forensic anthropologist, but here's some ideas: Check the sutures of the skull--the older the person the less trace of them there will be. Second, check the teeth. Increasing wear and damage implies an older (or perhaps poorer...) person. Also you can check to see if the wisdom teeth have erupted or not. Also, the presence of deciduous teeth obviously means a very young age. You could also check bone density--the less dense the older the individual, IIRC. Also I think the jaw will deteriorate as people get older, especially if there are a lot of missing teeth. Also cartilage keeps on growing thoughout the life of a person, so cartilaginous portions of the nose and ears will get larger over time. Just some ideas, and I imagine no one would be too surprised if this individual was in his late 30's or mid-50's.