Eerie 3D scans reveal brutal murders of mummies ‘beaten and stabbed’ 1100 years ago
THE GRUESOME final moments of centuries-old mummies have been uncovered using cutting-edge technology. In a paper last week, scientists described how they used 3D scans to examine the cause of death of three South American mummies. One poor soul is believed to have been stabbed in the back after receiving a heavy blow to the head likely dealt by a blunt weapon. A second is thought to have died as a result of “massive trauma” to the back of his neck. The mummies were found decades ago but scientists are only now uncovering their secrets. That’s because new scanning technology is allowing them to peer beneath layers of fabric wrapped around the bodies. Using 3D computer tomography – the same CT scan you find in hospitals – archaeologists can examine bone, tissue and more. It means mummies can be analysed in unprecedented detail to pick apart how they might have kicked the bucket. In the study published in “Frontiers in Medicine...