Ancient Egyptian mummification was practiced for nearly 4000 years as a key feature of some of the most complex mortuary practices documented in the archaeological record. Embalming, the preservation of the body and organs of the deceased for the afterlife, was a central component of the Egyptian mummification process. Here, we combine GC-MS, HT-GC-MS, and LC-MS/MS analyses to examine mummification balms excavated more than a century ago by Howard Carter from Tomb KV42 in the Valley of the Kings. Balm residues were scraped from now empty canopic jars that once contained the mummified organs of the noble lady Senetnay, dating to the 18th dynasty, ca. 1450 BCE. Our analysis revealed balms consisting of beeswax, plant oil, fats, bitumen, Pinaceae resins, a balsamic substance, and dammar or Pistacia tree resin. These are the richest, most complex balms yet identified for this early time period and they shed light on balm ingredients for which there is limited information in Egyptian textual sources. They highlight both the exceptional status of Senetnay and the myriad trade connections of the Egyptians in the 2nd millennium BCE. They further illustrate the excellent preservation possible even for organic remains long removed from their original archaeological context.
Rebuilding faces from skulls presented for forensic identification or of historical importance has been carried out for many years using standardized methods. However, the reproduction of the face of a 3500-year-old mummy still enclosed in its cartonnage proved to be an unusual challenge. The face had to be rebuilt without opening the cartonnage to ensure preservation of the remains. Consequently, the method devised involved using the latest medical imaging technology to determine the shape of the skull.
Naturally preserved and embalmed bodies from archeological contexts represent a powerful source of information for forensic investigators. They allow one to ascertain pathology, cause of death, to enhance diagnostic methodology, and to improve the analysis of altered remains. We investigated the complete head and lung remnants of a 3,500-year-old Egyptian dignitary by radiological, microscopic, and genetic approaches. The individual, a middle-aged male, suffered from severe periodontitis, mild atherosclerosis, and experienced cardiogenic pulmonary insufficiency with recurrent mini-bleeds and pulmonary edema. Histology and ancient DNA analyses excluded the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis or of any other pathogenic species. Based on our collection of evidence, we propose that acute decompensation complicating chronic cardiac insufficiency was the likely cause of death. The underlying causes for this failure remain unknown although chronic hypertension appears to be the most likely candidate. Our finding represents the earliest reported case of chronic heart failure in ancient mummies.
A 3500-year-old papyrus from ancient Egypt provides a list of treatments for many diseases including "bite hair loss," most likely alopecia areata (AA). The treatment of AA remained largely unchanged for over 1500 years. In 30 CE, Celsus described AA presenting as scalp alopecia in spots or the "windings of a snake" and suggested treatment with caustic compounds and scarification. The first "modern" description of AA came in 1813, though treatment still largely employed caustic agents. From the mid-19th century onwards, various hypotheses of AA development were put forward including infectious microbes (1843), nerve defects (1858), physical trauma and psychological stress (1881), focal inflammation (1891), diseased teeth (1902), toxins (1912) and endocrine disorders (1913). The 1950s brought new treatment developments with the first use of corticosteroid compounds (1952), and the first suggestion that AA was an autoimmune disease (1958). Research progressively shifted towards identifying hair follicle-specific autoantibodies (1995). The potential role of lymphocytes in AA was made implicit with immunohistological studies (1980s). However, studies confirming their functional role were not published until the development of rodent models (1990s). Genetic studies, particularly genome-wide association studies, have now come to the forefront and open up a new era of AA investigation (2000s). Today, AA research is actively focused on genetics, the microbiome, dietary modulators, the role of atopy, immune cell types in AA pathogenesis, primary antigenic targets, mechanisms by which immune cells influence hair growth, and of course the development of new treatments based on these discoveries.
Sex determination is important in archeology and anthropology for the study of past societies, cultures, and human activities. Sex determination is also one of the most important components of individual identification in criminal investigations. We developed a new method of sex determination by detecting a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the amelogenin gene using amplified product-length polymorphisms in combination with sex-determining region Y analysis. We particularly focused on the most common types of postmortem DNA damage in ancient and forensic samples: fragmentation and nucleotide modification resulting from deamination. Amplicon size was designed to be less than 60 bp to make the method more useful for analyzing degraded DNA samples. All DNA samples collected from eight Japanese individuals (four male, four female) were evaluated correctly using our method. The detection limit for accurate sex determination was determined to be 20 pg of DNA. We compared our new method with commercial short tandem repeat analysis kits using DNA samples artificially fragmented by ultraviolet irradiation. Our novel method was the most robust for highly fragmented DNA samples. To deal with allelic dropout resulting from deamination, we adopted "bidirectional analysis," which analyzed samples from both sense and antisense strands. This new method was applied to 14 Jomon individuals (3500-year-old bone samples) whose sex had been identified morphologically. We could correctly identify the sex of 11 out of 14 individuals. These results show that our method is reliable for the sex determination of highly degenerated samples.
A monochromatic millimeter-wave imaging system coupled with an infrared temperature sensor has been used to investigate historic objects preserved at the Museum of Aquitaine (France). In particular, two-dimensional and three-dimensional analyses have been performed in order to reveal the internal structure of nearly 3500-year-old sealed Egyptian jars.
Eagles currently occur in the Hawaiian Islands only as vagrants, but Quaternary bones of Haliaeetus eagles have been found on three of the major islands. A previous study of a ∼3500-year-old skeleton from Maui found its mtDNA more similar to White-tailed (H. albicilla) than to Bald (H. leucocephalus) Eagles, but low intraspecific resolution of the markers and lack of comparative data from mainland populations precluded assessment of whether the individual was part of the diversity found in Eurasia, or whether it represented an endemic Hawaiian lineage. Using ancient DNA techniques, we sequenced part of the rapidly evolving mtDNA control region from the same specimen, and compared it to published range-wide control region data from White-tailed Eagles and newly generated sequences from Bald Eagles. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that the Hawaiian eagle represents a distinct (>3% divergent) mtDNA lineage most closely related to those of extant White-tailed Eagles. Based on fossil calibration, we estimate that the Hawaiian mtDNA lineage diverged from mainland sequences around the Middle Pleistocene. Although not clearly differentiated morphologically from mainland forms, the Hawaiian eagle thus likely constituted an isolated, resident population in the Hawaiian archipelago for more than 100,000 years, where it was the largest terrestrial predator.
A geochemical study of the Erdek Bay sediments in the Sea of Marmara, Turkey, was carried out to investigate the heavy metal distributions and sources. The bay has an average depth of 34 m and a two-layer water column stratification, with a pycnocline at 20 m. The distribution of "total" metal (Fe, Mn, Pb, Cu, Ni, Cr, Zn and Hg) concentrations, together with sequential selective extraction analyses, shows that the relatively high metal concentrations are mainly due to land-based natural inputs from the erosion products of mineralized zones and mafic-ultramafic rocks delivered to the bay by two rivers from the south. However, some Pb, Zn and Cu occur in the Fe-Mn-oxyhydroxide and organic fractions, suggesting, in part, some anthropogenic inputs in addition to the predominantly natural inputs. The vertical distribution of metal/A1 ratios in a gravity core in the bay shows no significant change with depth, except for an early diagenetic enrichment at 0.7-1.6 m below sea floor (mbsf) above a 4750-3500-year-old sapropelic layer. This distribution is a further indication of the insignificant antropogenic metal pollution in the bay.
A new 3D printing technique can produce exceptionally hard tungsten carbide cobalt while using less of its expensive raw materials。 By softening rather than fully melting the material, researchers created defect-free samples with industrial-grade hardness and opened the door to more efficient manufacturing
A rare meteorite that crashed through a New Jersey roof contains evidence of ancient salty fluids, organic compounds, and amino acids from a primitive asteroid。 Its pristine chemistry could offer new clues about how space rocks helped supply early Earth with some of the ingredients needed for life
Device-bound session credentials thwart an increasingly common form of account takeover
Metal-rich asteroids could one day become hardware stores for Mars, supplying the materials needed to build and repair a growing colony。 A new analysis shows that carefully selected asteroids may be reachable with current spacecraft technology。 Some could even provide the ingredients for making rocket fuel in space, dramatically reducing the burden
A black hole observed during a dramatic 2023 eruption did not simply devour gas from its nearby companion star。 It also expelled large amounts of material through powerful jets and winds, even after the outburst had nearly faded。 The results suggest black holes may continue reshaping their surroundings long after their brightest fireworks end
Hidden moon ice may reveal itself through the way it bends and reflects vibrations from moonquakes。 The technique could help astronauts locate vital water supplies and uncover clues about the origins of Earth’s oceans
Dark matter particles may exert a hidden force on one another, but its effects are stranger than expected。 An extra attraction helps the particles cluster, yet it also makes dark matter effectively lighter as the Universe expands。 That weakens its gravitational impact and usually slows the growth of cosmic structure rather than accelerating it
Trump admin claims New York suing Kalshi created "market emergency
Researchers have found a clever new way to map a part of Earth’s upper atmosphere that is notoriously difficult to observe。 Using orbital data from roughly 1,200 Starlink satellites, they reconstructed changes in atmospheric density about 500 kilometers above Earth。 The approach could sharpen satellite tracking and help reduce the growing risk of c
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Physicists have found a new way to peer inside one of matter’s most elusive quantum states: the Wigner crystal, where electrons stop behaving like independent particles and organize into a crystal-like pattern。 By shining light on an atomically thin material cooled close to absolute zero, researchers uncovered optical signals that reveal not just w