8 Mummy Finds Revealing Ancient Disease
Some ailments were ancient scourges, others surprisingly modern.
Today these remains, probed by modern CT scans, MRIs, and DNA tests, are offering intriguing insights into how people lived and died long ago.
A 2011 study of 52 mummies in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo showed that almost half had clogged arteries, the kind of condition that can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
What was to blame? Too much beer and bread? Not enough exercise? Chronic inflammation? Or perhaps some genetic predisposition of the interbred royals? Experts could only wonder.
As it turns out, those ancient Egyptians weren't alone. Recent CT scans of 137 mummies from four different regions, spanning more than 4,000 years, revealed that one-third had clogged arteries.
Again, the experts are stumped. But the new mummy
