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3D scanning helps scientists unwrap the secrets of ancient mummies

Take a look inside some thousand-year-old human remains.

Photo of Gavia Baker-Whitelaw

Gavia Baker-Whitelaw

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When dealing with ancient mummified remains, archaeologists are understandably wary. Mummies are an incredible resource for learning more about long-dead civilizations, but too much handling could cause serious damage.

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At London’s Wellcome Collection, this problem is solved using a hospital CT scanner. After a quick trip to the scanning room, researchers can examine the mummies in detail without performing any physically invasive procedures.

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This video shows three mummies being scanned to create 3D models of the remains, which can tell us a great deal about how these people lived and died.

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As one researcher points out, this technique can also be a very useful for identifying counterfeit mummies without removing the outer layer of wrapping.

Sceengrab via Wellcome Collection/YouTube

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