University researchers study mummy using modern technology
Andrea Winter
Issue date: 4/18/07 Section: News
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Al Wiman, vice president of Public Understanding of Science at the Science Center, found the mummy in the Center's storage where it had been packed away since 1985. The mummy had been purchased privately in the Middle East at the turn of the 20th century-the same time that banker Charles Parson bought two mummies that he later donated to the University.
Wiman contacted the University's Department of Radiology in order to learn more about the mummy without tampering with its contents.
"On the computer we could electronically unwrap layers of bandage and remove skin," said Charles Hildebolt, professor of radiology.
Hildebolt led a team of researches who used X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanning to create three-dimensional images of the mummy.
From the scan, the scientists determined that the baby mummy was a boy. They also found corroborating evidence from three places-the mummy's teeth, skull structure and hand bones-which all suggest that the child was between seven to eight months old when he died.
"Teeth are the best things to use for determining age at death. We were able to determine the mummy's age by looking at crown and root formation," said Hildebolt.
The CT images show evidence from the mummification process. The research team found a hole in the left nostril through which the mummy's brain was most likely removed. Also, it was discovered that a wooden rod had been inserted during the wrapping process to support the mummy.
Anne Bowcock, professor of genetics, medicine and pediatrics, extracted and sequenced the baby mummy's DNA. She took specimens from four places where the mummy had already been partially unwrapped on the left side of its head and on its shoulder.
"The mummy was very hardened, like wood. We used thick needles to get some material. We removed a match-head sized piece of bone," said Bowcock.
Bowcock said that contamination had initially been a concern because mummy DNA assessments often contain DNA from people who have handled the mummy. Because she was able to take specimens directly from the bone, she is fairly confident in the results.
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