It's A Girl! Buffalo Museum Of Science, Roswell Park Cancer Institute Reveal Sex And Results From Non-Invasive 3D Scan Of South American Mummy

BUFFALO, N.Y., June 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The results of the "virtual autopsy" performed on a South American mummy from the collection of the Buffalo Museum of Science are in, providing new insights into the life of the infant mummy. As part of the groundbreaking Mummies of the World exhibition, Dr. Peter Loud of Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and Dr. Heather Gill-Frerking of American Exhibitions, Inc., along with a team of RPCI radiologists performed a noninvasive 3D computed tomography (CT) scan of the mummy.

From their analysis of both soft tissues and the mummy's skeleton, the research team was able to conclude that the mummy is a two-year-old girl. The scan also determined that there is no discernible evidence of disease or trauma on the skeleton that has been identified so far. Through the cutting-edge medical imaging available at RPCI, the scan helped experts determine these details, and further analysis will assist in future research applied to the exhibition.

"This particular mummy has been part of the Buffalo Museum of Science's collection for over a century.  Until now, very little was known about this individual, including its age and gender," comments BMS President & CEO, Mark Mortenson. "Thanks to collaboration with Roswell Park Cancer Institute and Mummies of the World, we now have answers to some of our questions."

"Some internal organs were preserved, including the liver and part of the lungs. There is a rectangular object on the back of the child, near the left shoulder that may be an amulet with a groove down one side. More research is in progress to determine what the object is made of," says Dr. Heather Gill-Frerking, Director of Science and Education Development at American Exhibitions, Inc. "Future work will include identifying more of the preserved internal organs, and determining the composition and structure of the rectangular object."

The mummy debuted as part of the nationally traveling exhibition, Mummies of the World, at the Buffalo Museum of Science now through September 2014. For more information, visit www.sciencebuff.org or www.mummiesoftheworld.com.

SOURCE Mummies of the World