Secretly decode thousands of years of mummies

Research on the 5,300-year-old Iceman mummy gave the answer to mystery, why mummies can be intact over thousands of years.

With today's most advanced microscopic technology, German and Italian scientists explain the mechanism of mummies that can be extremely well preserved for thousands of years. The study was conducted through understanding the skin pieces of mummies that have the greatest life expectancy in Europe.

The mummy was named Iceman, living 5,300 years ago, working as a shepherd in the Neolithic period. Iceman was discovered by tourists on Otzal in the Alps, between Italy and Austria in 1991.

The mummy was identified by a man about 45 years old, a typical mummy model of good preservation.

Scientists determined the cause of death was caused by an arrow pierced the lower part of the left shoulder. In addition, there are many lesions in the head area due to heavy objects.

Since its discovery, Iceman has been the subject of many studies, using many techniques such as optical microscopy or electron scanning. The results show that, although the skin epidermis disappears, the skin's collagen, a protein that connects the body's tissues, is almost in its entirety. This is the mystery that hurts scientists.

Ice man mummy 5300 years old.

In the study, the scientists examined three skin samples of Iceman mummies using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and RAMAN spectroscopy (RS). Combining two techniques allows them to carefully examine the nanostructures of collagen and molecular structure from skin samples. Next, they compared the results on the mummified skin and normal human skin samples. The results showed that two skin samples have the same collagen fiber structure expressed through the cyclic class cycle.

In addition, the RAMAN spectral analysis results showed that two skin samples compare for the same spectrum. Thus, the molecular structure of mummy skin is almost unchanged. However, by AFM experiment, the researchers found that the mummy skin had a higher amount of Young modules. This makes the skin less elastic and harder than the control skin.

Reasonable explanation for the increase in the stability of collagen is due to dehydration through the drying and chilling process. Dehydration leads to a dense structure of fibers, creating cross-linking with external fibers. Dehydrated skin maintains its ability to protect itself as well as prevent tissue decomposition.

Marek Janko, head of the research team said: "The most important thing of the research is to discover the role of collagen I in the mummy's skin to help keep the skin structure of Iceman mummies and protection functions (as avoided). External agents such as UV rays, germs, etc. It helps Iceman's tissues to be preserved for 5,300 years, and also provides important evidence for the collagen structure and the detailed mechanism of the embalming process. body ".

Usually, mummies are invaluable cultural heritage. It tells us about ancestral life and death. Art of mummification is also very diverse, especially the technique of ancient Egyptians. The discovery of collagen's dehydration mechanism helps increase the stiffness of collagen fibers that have applications in surgery.