#mummy

#mummy

How Did a Dinosaur Become a Mummy?Fossilization happens when minerals gradually replace bone in an animal that is buried underground. Mummification happens when a body's soft tissue dries completely out and is preserved by desiccation. A few mummified remains of dinosaurs have been found with evidence that the dead animal was quickly buried in dry conditions, such as in an avalanche. But an Edmontosaurus found in South Dakota in 1999 defied all explanation. The 40-foot-long reptile died 67 million years ago, but its bones were found covered by fossilized skin! That could have only happened if the sky were dried out, as in mummification, before it was fossilized. But this dinosaur died in wet conditions, and was not immediately buried. In fact, there is evidence that it laid on the earth's surface long enough for other animals to take a few bites out of him. How could its skin have have been preserved at all?A new theory about the Edmontosaurus nicknamed Dakota was published this week. Scientists now believe that scavengers helped the drying process. By tearing the skin open, they allowed for the blood, gasses, body fluids, and internal organs to ooze out before putrefaction, which sped up the ability of the skin to dry out. The precise sequence of events that led to Dakota turning to just skin and bones before being buried and fossilized has to be a pretty rare event, but one that gave us dinosaur skin to study 67 million years later.(Image credit: Natee Puttapipat)#dinosaur #fossil #mummification #desiccation #mummy

The Oldest Mummy in the WorldWe think of mummies as being Egyptian, because the ancient Egyptians raised mummification to an art beginning about 4500 years ago. But the deliberate drying of a dead body to keep it from decomposing is much older. Mummification took place in Chile's Atacama Desert, where the conditions are very dry, some 7,000 years ago. But now we have evidence of mummification in Europe as far back as 8,000 years ago. In the 1960s, archaeologists uncovered a Mesolithic burial site in Portugal, and discovered dozens of bodies. Portuguese archaeologist Manuel Farinha dos Santos was part of that excavation, and took pictures of the bodies. His undeveloped film was only discovered after his death in 2001. A study of the resulting photographs reveal that one body had been treated after death in a way that would dry the body out. The limb joints were flexed beyond what a living body can do, but the bones were not separated. The body was dried, but the condition of the ground around it indicated that no shrinkage had occurred after burial. Scientists hypothesize that this body may have been dried in order to more easily transport it from a distance to be buried at this particular site. There is evidence that other bodies from the same burial site may have been mummified.Mummies in Europe are rare because of the humidity. Read the process this one went through to become completely dried at Live Science. -via Strange Company(Image credit: Peyroteo-Stjerna et al/European Journal of Archaeology)#mummy #mummification #Portugal

Liquid Blood Found in the Heart of a Prehistoric 42,000-Year-Old Foal Mummy Preserved in Siberian PermafrostThis is the oldest blood in the world, ever!A prehistoric foal mummy was discovered in Siberia. The animal, estimated to be around 42,000 years old, had beautifully preserved internal organs and liquid blood thanks to its favorable burial conditions and the Siberian permafrost. According to Semyon Grigoryev, head of the Mammoth Museum in Yakutsk, the liquid blood was extracted from the animal’s heart vessels. The foal’s excellent condition makes it the best-preserved Ice Age animal ever found in the world.Scientists are now looking forward to cloning the animal to revive its species, the Lenskaya breed, which went extinct a long time ago. “Hopefully, the world will soon meet the clone of the ancient foal who lived 42,000 years ago.” Mickhil Yakovlev, editor of the North-Eastern Federal University’s media said to the press. Image credit: North-Eastern Federal University#paleontology #Lenskaya #foal #mummy #permafrost #siberia #cloning #animals

Human Remains are Best-preserved Ever Found in PompeiiWhen we read about the excavations at Pompeii, we are always impressed with how the bodies found tell the remarkable story of the chaos of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. While the victims of the volcano are remarkably preserved, thebest preserved body found yet is that of a man who died before the disaster. He was a former slave who achieved some notoriety, and was buried when most residents were cremated.The remains of Marcus Venerius Secundio were found in a tomb at the necropolis of Porta Sarno, which was one of the main entrance gates into the city. The tomb is believed to date back to the decades before Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79.What have been described as the best-preserved human remains ever discovered in Pompeii include Secundio’s white hair and a partially visible ear. Initial tests show he died at about the age of 60.The inscriptions that accompany Secundio's tomb tell us a lot about what was going on in Pompeii before it was destroyed. Read about the find at The Guardian. -via Damn Interesting #Pompeii #mummy #archaeology #MountVesuvius #volcano #tomb #necropolis

DNA Extracted From 1,600-Year-Old Sheep Leg Found In Salt MineSheep are one of the first animals domesticated by humans, but not much is known about the details of sheep husbandry in ancient civilizations.Now, we have a bit more information on this topic. A team of researchers recently retrieved a well preserved sheep leg from the Chehrabad salt mine in Iran. It's over 1,600 years old but thanks to the salt, there was even still skin and fur present on it and scientists were able to take some of its DNA for their study.Usually, DNA breaks down quickly as enzymes in the cells degrade the strands in a chemical reaction which involves water. The high concentration of salt sequesters the water molecules, thus preventing them from breaking down the DNA strands.So, what did the scientists find out? Genetic analysis showed that the breed of sheep was that of a fat-tailed variety, which lacked the gene for a woolly coat. This breed of sheep was most likely raised for meat or milk, instead of fleece. Research fellow Kevin Daly said, "This study shows us that the people of Sasanian-era Iran may have managed flocks of sheep specialized for meat consumption, suggesting well developed husbandry practices."#sheep #sheepdomestication #fossil #mummy #mummified #saltmine #DNA #archaeology #genetics #domesticationImage: Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum and Zanjan Cultural Heritage Centre, Archaeological Museum of Zanjan