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Scientists Can Now Peek Inside Mummies In a Whole New Way (gizmodo.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Gizmodo: A revved-up version of traditional CT scanning shows it's possible to acquire microscopic-scale images of ancient Egyptian mummies, revealing previously unseen features such as blood vessels and nerves. A new proof-of-concept study published this week in Radiology shows a modified version of CT scanning, called phase-contrast CT scanning, can be used to do microscopic-scale imaging of soft-tissue in human mummies. This imaging technique detects the absorption and phase shift (similar to how light changes direction when it passes through a lens) that happens when x-rays pass through a solid object. The resulting images feature a higher level of contrast than traditional x-ray images.
For the new study, Jenny Romell and her colleagues at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden wanted to evaluate the effectiveness of using phase-contrast CT scanning on mummies. The researchers scanned a mummified human right hand from ancient Egypt. The hand was lent to them by the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities, and it dates back to around 400 BC. Rommel's team scanned the entire hand, followed by more detailed imaging of a finger tip. The system worked beautifully. The resolution got as good as an estimated 6 to 9 microns, which is slightly more than the width of a human blood cell. At such a small scale, the researchers could visualize the mummy's blood vessels, different layers of skin growth, adipose cells, blood vessels, and nerves. For archaeologists, this now introduces a new way of imaging ancient remains in an unobtrusive and highly detailed way.
For the new study, Jenny Romell and her colleagues at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden wanted to evaluate the effectiveness of using phase-contrast CT scanning on mummies. The researchers scanned a mummified human right hand from ancient Egypt. The hand was lent to them by the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities, and it dates back to around 400 BC. Rommel's team scanned the entire hand, followed by more detailed imaging of a finger tip. The system worked beautifully. The resolution got as good as an estimated 6 to 9 microns, which is slightly more than the width of a human blood cell. At such a small scale, the researchers could visualize the mummy's blood vessels, different layers of skin growth, adipose cells, blood vessels, and nerves. For archaeologists, this now introduces a new way of imaging ancient remains in an unobtrusive and highly detailed way.
Can somebody use this to look inside the mummified remains of all these AC's heads to see what causes them to think it is OK to shit literary diarrhea all over in here about republicans, the SCOTUS pick, and all that? Same with that racist fuck going on about the GNAA or whatever the fuck he keeps railing about, or possibly even APK and his absurdity...
Seriously, You can basically be guaranteed that those assclowns are gonna smear their crap all over every story that comes through here, first thing. It gets depressing after awhile.
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On a more serious, and on topic note; This is a very interesting thing indeed. Even better if they can make a mobile xray version of it, as then they could do minimal disturbance archeology and anthropology.
It could have other uses as well, such as metallurgical analysis of damaged parts (such as from an airplane crash), and in the geological sciences as well.
Always good to have a shiny new tool.
"peeking inside mummies" brings a whole new meaning to NeCrOpHiLoLia