Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Scientists Can Now Peek Inside Mummies In a Whole New Way (gizmodo.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the proof-of-concept dept.

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.

19 of 60 comments (clear)

  1. Irrelevent--Don't Read by Radioheadhead · · Score: 1

    Grammar Nazi in me wails, "Wholly!"

  2. *groan* by wierd_w · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.

    --------

    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.

    1. Re: *groan* by wierd_w · · Score: 1

      Must have been somebody else's mom AC.

      Mine is dead, and cremated. Has been for over a year.

      Maybe you should get your eyes checked? ;)

    2. Re: *groan* by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      Mine is dead, and cremated. Has been for over a year.

      That's just what she wants you to believe. In reality, she's living in McAllen, Texas with a Mexican biker gang. If you send me some proof of your identity, I can help you locate her. DM me a scan of your driver's license and social security card, and I'll take it from there. But I can't guarantee that she'll be happy to see you, after all the trouble she went through, faking her death to get away.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    3. Re:*groan* by GrumpySteen · · Score: 1

      There's no cure for AC syndrome. All you can do is treat the symptoms by setting your threshold at +1 or +2 higher. It removes 99.9% of the AC posts and makes the site 99.9% less irritating. It probably lowers your cholesterol, too.

    4. Re:*groan* by JoshuaZ · · Score: 1

      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.

      Another related application is simply quality control. Non-destructive testing of parts is really tough. Having another way to examine them without damaging may be very useful.

    5. Re:*groan* by argStyopa · · Score: 1

      "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."

      Welcome to the internet. You must be new here?

      On a brighter note, the internet does occasionally pinch out something of actual beauty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
      I save that one as my mental refuge once in a while when it gets too bad.

      --
      -Styopa
  3. Re: #READ YOUR GOATSE, HILLARY by Penis++Breath+(TM) · · Score: 1, Insightful

    "peeking inside mummies" brings a whole new meaning to NeCrOpHiLoLia

  4. Ultrasound by The+Evil+Atheist · · Score: 1

    Good, because I can never actually picture what the ultrasound is showing.

    --
    Those who do not learn from commit history are doomed to regress it.
    1. Re:Ultrasound by mark-t · · Score: 1

      Either you don't have any kids yet, or it's been a long time since you've had any and you aren't yet a grandparent.

      Gone are the days where ultrasound resembles an image you might see on a sonar display in a military submarine. Today you can get computer generated images of a 3d model produced from the ultrasound data that nobody would have any trouble identifying.

      Google "3d ultrasound", and you'll see what I mean.

      I imagine that theoretically, you could probably even make a model file to 3d-print, although that might be a bit creepy for some people.

      --
      File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
  5. Handy by rosbif73 · · Score: 1

    Gives a whole new meaning to "lending someone a hand"!

  6. Yes! by TimMD909 · · Score: 1

    This is nerdy! More! More! More! * Off to read the actual article now... *More!

  7. Bunch of perverts by The123king · · Score: 2

    Next time we find a 5000 year old dead guy, we can look at his junk in [i]High Definition[/i]

    --
    If you gave me a choice between a printer and a giraffe with explosive diarrhoea, i'll get my ladder and my raincoat
    1. Re:Bunch of perverts by SoundsInterestin · · Score: 1

      crazy, haha

  8. Re:I peeked inside ur mum by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    C'mon, how can you waste such a good joke?

    This was begging for a perfectly good "your mummy is SO fat..." joke and you ruined it. Thanks for nothing.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  9. Pompeii scrolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I wonder if this resolution is good enough to be able to read the burned scrolls from Pompeii

  10. APK by DrYak · · Score: 1

    or possibly even APK and his absurdity...

    APK doesn't exist anymore. He has been dead long time (due to a burst aneurysm) and has been replaced by a bunch of bots that all blame eachother for trying to impersonate him.

    --
    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
  11. Oh by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

    Scientists Can Now Peek Inside Mummies In a Whole New Way

    You mean besides trying to look up their skirts? Nerds! NERDS!!!

    Ow ow my heart! I hope these nerds can save me!

    --
    (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
  12. why is this ok? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    why is it ok to dig up bodies and move them? why is it ok to conduct experiments on them, to split their corpse into pieces to put in museums and do ct scans on them? would you be ok with someone digging up your mom's body and doing the same? not returning the body to its original burial ground. why is it ok to desecrate these graves in the name of science?