HOAX: Will Michael Jackson's body be plastinated?

Apparently, some news reporters can't tell satiric fiction from fact.

On June 27, 2009, The Spoof (a satiric website) posted an article in which it claimed that Gunther von Hagens-Daz had received permission from Michael Jackson, in the months preceding his death, to plastinate and display his body, alongside his favorite chimp, Bubbles. In part, the article read:

"Flashing an official Deed of Gift signed by the late Michael Jackson's royal Bahraini family creditors plastination nutter Dr Gunther Von Hagens-Daz stormed his way into an LA court room today demanding the immediate seizure of Michael Jackson's body from cold storage facilities guarded by Joseph Jackson security staff.... "The actual contract was for $10 million," the doctor added, "and was signed by all the Jackson family so Michael could be plastinated in polyurethane and exhibited for posterity next to his preserved chimpanzee Bubbles."
The beloved former primate companion is on permanent exhibit at the AEG's O2 Arena in London...."

That the real plastination doctor's name is actually "Gunther von Hagens" not "Gunther von Hagens-Daz" and that other websites claim Bubbles is still alive (and not on display) did not deter some writers from reporting this bogus claim (which apparently originated with the Sunday Mail):

Mirror.co.uk: 'He wanted his body on show' ("Michael wanted his body to be put on display doing his trademark moonwalk dance, a controversial doctor claimed last night."

Sundaymail.co.uk: Eccentric German doctor has made macabre claim ("Gunther von Hagens said the corpse would be placed next to the singer's late pet chimp, Bubbles, which he also preserved, at London's O2 Arena where Jackson was due to perform 50 concerts.")

 Examiner.com: 'Michael Jackson's body may be permanently displayed in public after plastination procedure' ("Neil Sears of Mail Online is reporting that Michael Jackson may either have a traditional Islamic funeral... or something dramatically different. The King of Pop may never be buried at all. Instead, he could be preserved forever in his "famous moonwalk stance." Sears reports that German doctor Gunther von Hagens, famous for "embalming corpses in polyurethane," has said: "An agreement is in place to plastinate the King of Pop." According to the somewhat sensational article by Sears, von Hagens said he "had agreed with representatives of Jackson's family months ago that Jackson's body would be plastinated and placed next to the singer's late chimp Bubbles, who was preserved after his death and is on display in the show at the O2 arena, where the singer was due to appear next month." ")

Some ABC websites reported the Sunday Mail story, qualifying their account with this sentence: "There's been no announcement yet from the Jackson family about the disposition of his body, and no confirmation of the...story." Still, they passed the false story along.

And an Irish bookmaker was overwhelmed with bets (based on this false reporting) that Michael Jackson's body would be plastinated that he changed the odds he was giving the disposal of Michael Jackson's body. Here's a press release about the problem:

 "German doctor Gunther von Hagens has given Irish bookmaking outfit Paddy Power a potential EUR80,000 (USD$112,500) bloody nose with his claims that an agreement was in place with Michael Jackson to plastinate his remains upon his death. Von Hagens has caused controversy around the globe with his practice of embalming corpses with preserving polyurethane. The doctor also preserved Michael Jackson's late pet monkey, Bubbles, using the same process a number of years ago..."

Perhaps the entire hoax was an attempt to get some publicity (and profit) for the betting firm.

Face of long-dead mummy brought back to life (msnbc.msn.com)

"The face of a long-dead mummy has been brought back to life through forensic science. Based on CT-scans of the skull of the ancient Egyptian mummy Meresamun, two artists independently reconstructed her appearance and arrived at similar images of the woman. Meresamun, a temple singer in Thebes (ancient Luxor) at about 800 B.C., died of unknown causes at about age 30. Until recently, modern viewers of the University of Chicago-owned mummy have had to guess about the woman behind the mask. Now scientists think they have a pretty good idea of what she looked like. Researchers created a 3-D digital model of Meresamun's skull through multiple detailed CT-scans. Then the data was handed over to two forensic artists to extrapolate the woman's facial features. Chicago artist Joshua Harker used the Gatliff-Snow American Tissue Depth Marker Method to calculate the contours of the face and produce a digital reconstruction. This technique is considered accurate enough that its results are admissible in court to identify victims...."

CT-scan reveals 2700-year-old Brooklyn Museum female mummy was actually male (msnbc.msn.com)

"The mummy may actually have been a daddy. North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., examined four ancient Egyptian mummies belonging to the Brooklyn Museum on Tuesday. It turns out one of the four thought for centuries to be a woman is actually a man. A CT scan revealed that one of the mummies, named “Lady Hor,” was a male. Researchers conducted the scans with hopes of gaining further knowledge about their identities, cause of death, and ancient funerary practices. Hospital spokeswoman Michelle Pinto says the testing enables radiologists to learn about the bones and skeletal system of the mummies in extraordinary detail, without having to do invasive or damaging procedures. The mummies range in age from more than 3,000 years old to about 1,700 years old. "Lady Hor" dates back to between 712 B.C. and 660 B.C., Newsday reported. Egyptologists had assumed that the mummy was female because its covering, or cartonnage, took the shape of a woman, without a symbolic beard attached. But the CT scan revealed "the pelvic organs of a male," Dr. Jesse Chusid told the newspaper...."

Florida woman donates body to plastination institute (tbo.com)

"Angie Day looked her future in the face Saturday during her visit to the Body Worlds exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. Day, 36, recently donated her body to the company behind "Body Worlds & The Story of The Heart" to be used in the company's anatomical displays after she dies. On Saturday, she drove from her home in Melbourne to get a look at the show that one day will display her mortal remains to the public. Where her fellow visitors solemnly surveyed displays of disembodied organs or preserved bodies frozen in motion, Day pictured herself. "Maybe I could be reading a book or maybe I could be running because I like to do those things," Day said, standing by a display of a ski-jumping body split down the middle. "I don't like to ski." Day said she decided to donate her body after visiting a similar exhibit in Chicago two years ago. Day expects to wait a long time before surrendering her body to Body Worlds. She's young and in good health.... "

Erika Simon, Ötzi co-discoverer, will receive 150,000 euro payment--finally (ansa.it)

"A long-running battle over a finder's fee for Italy's famous Iceman mummy has been settled. Authorities in this province on the Austrian border said on Monday they would meet the 150,000-euro demand of the German couple who found the Iceman in 1991. The money will go to Erika Simon, 72, who lost her husband and co-finder Helmut in a mountain accident five years ago when he was 67. The pay-out settled a row which began in 1994, three years after the find, when the Simons spurned a 'symbolic' reward of 10 million lire (around 5,200 euros). That was when the couple began fighting for a slice of the multi-million-euro business the Iceman generates. In September 2006 the provincial government appealed a verdict by a lower court earlier that year which confirmed that the Simons found the 5,000-year-old frozen man and ordered the provincial government to ''properly'' compensate Erika. The provincial council in Bolzano appealed to the highest court of appeal, the Cassation Court, arguing that 150,000 euros was too much for the find. It pointed out that it had borne all the expense of exploiting the find...."

More information about the Iceman

First stop for "The Accidental Mummies of Guanajuato" exhibition is the Detroit Science Center...opening October 10, 2009

"They were miners, fathers, soldiers, farmers and children. They are revered by their descendants and have been visited by millions. They are rare, shocking…and completely accidental. Now, for the first time ever, they are coming to the United States in an all-new touring exhibition, The Accidental Mummies of Guanajuato. The Accidental Mummies of Guanajuato is a 10,000 square-foot exhibition that will tour six North American destinations from 2010-2012. Featuring 36 accidental mummies who have never been seen outside of Mexico, the exhibit combines science, history and cultural anthropology to immerse the visitor in the world of a Mexican city over 100 years ago where deceased residents naturally mummified in their crypts...."

More information about the Guanajuato mummies

Gallery of Guanajuato mummies

"The mummified remains of a woman suspected of having died during childbirth about 350 years ago found at a burial site late last month were examined by a research team Sunday. The woman was wrapped in multi-layered burial clothes, showing the dress and hair fashion of noblewomen during that period. The research team is being led by professor Shin Dong-hun at the anatomy department of Seoul National University's medical college and professor Kim Myeung-ju of Dankook University's medical college. The woman, named Ohn Yang-jeong, was the second wife of Jeong Hee-hyeon, who lived in the middle of the Joseon Kingdom. Jeong's descendants found the remains while relocating their ancestors' burial sites in Hadong, South Gyeongsang Province, late last month. Ohn was wrapped in 46 layers of clothes, under which the team also found a small skull and other bones around the lower part of her body. ``We need more scientific examination, but we believe Ohn died during childbirth and was buried together with the dead baby. A pair of child's pants found beside her feet also shows a link to the death,'' Shin said. He suspected that the woman died young, probably in her 20s or 30s, considering the condition of her teeth and color of her hair...."

Video of discovery (asiaone.com)

"Cairo University inaugurated a new DNA lab to find clues of mummies' family links here on Monday. The lab is the second of its kind in Egypt. The first one was established at the Egyptian Museum two years ago, said Dr. Hossam Kamel, president of the university. The lab is the second of its kind in Egypt. The first one was established at the Egyptian Museum two years ago, said Dr. Hossam Kamel, president of the university. "It is very important not to use the same lab to analyze the DNA of living and dead people as there may be confusion in the results," Dr Hawas said. "I used to be against the DNA tests for mummies, because it was done by foreigners, and the mix of DNA of the dead and the alive could lead to inaccurate results," he said. "We can not trust results from one lab, so we established another to make comparison and get precise data," he added. Dr Sally, one of the five scientists working at the lab, said the DNA of the mummies is different from that of people alive. "It is very old and fragile, so we have to extract and multiply it before tests." The priority of the new lab, said Hawas, is "to study the family tree of Tutankhamun, as we do not know who his father was, and where his mother's mummy was buried." Tutankhamun (ruled from 1333 BC to 1324 BC) was an Egyptian Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, during the period of Egyptian history, known as the new kingdom. "We will announce key information about Tutankhamun's family link next August, after comparing the results from the two labs, "Hawas said. The lab, which cost one million U. S dollars, is sponsored by the American Discovery Channel...."

"Entombed among evidence bags and found items in the Port Huron police department property room sits something a lot older than a stolen car stereo. A mummy with a story that caught the interest of people worldwide remains in the room -- evidence from a 2006 case. "We've got a lot of interesting things in that property room," Capt. Jim Jones said, "but I've got to say that's probably tops in the unusual category." Police confiscated the 200-year-old preserved medical cadaver from a Port Huron woman in 2006 after a medical student from another state reported seeing it for sale on eBay, said Sgt. Duane Loxton, who handled the case as a detective. It is illegal to possess a human body without permission, but no charges were filed. Port Huron resident Lynn Sterling told police she had been trying to sell it for a friend, Terry Fadina, who discovered it while demolishing a schoolhouse in Detroit in the 1980s. The dissected, hollowed-out and never-wrapped cadaver doesn't look a thing like the image popularized by movies. The body, with its exposed arteries colored red for use in medical studies, rests on a top shelf of a rack containing evidence bags. The box is securely taped shut and marked with arrows labeled "This side up.""

Arsenic-laced water may have spurred first mummies made by Chinchorro people (sciencemag.org)

Entire article is available by subscription in Science 29 May 2009:
Vol. 324. no. 5931, p. 1130

Two previously unseen collections on display in Trento's Buonconsiglio Castle (ansamed.info)

Woman kept mother's body in freezer for 20 years (guardian.co.uk)

Russian man receives fee for finding Yakutia baby mammoth (mosnews.com)

Iranian salt mummies get special preservation chamber (presstv.ir)

"Iran's four saltmen, unique salt mummies, have found a new resting place is one of the most advanced display cases in the world. The vacuum chamber in Zanjan can precisely control humidity and airflow and is provided with a nitrogen-rich mixture deadly to known bacteria and mold. Iranian, British, German and Austrian researchers declared air and humidity the main enemies of salt mummies at the 2nd International Seminar on the Archeology and Pathology of Saltmen in October, 2007. The experts examined the saltmen's condition to make the final decision on carrying out further studies on the Chehrabad salt mine, where the saltmen were found. The Chehrabad Salt Mine is located in the Hamzehlou region of Zanjan province in northwestern Iran. The saltmen, also known as the Iranian salt mummies, were accidentally discovered by miners in 1993. Three of the saltmen date to the Parthian (247 BCE - 224 CE) and the Sassanid (224 - 651 CE) eras, while all other human remains discovered at the site go back to the Achaemenid Dynasty (550 - 330 BCE). Artifacts have been discovered alongside the skeletons, including leather shoes, a leather bag, a terracotta lamp and two cow horns, most of which remain intact. Salt at the mine worked to preserve the artifacts, as well as the internal organs of the salt men themselves. Fingernails and hair have also been found undamaged, which will enable scientific testing to be carried out that could reveal further clues about these ancient people...."

More information about the salt mummies

Lenin's mummy may get a new home--in Minsk (newsfromrussia.com)

"Lenin’s mummy may be transported from the Mausoleum on the Red Square to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, in the near future. The government of Belarus supposes that Lenin still remains a symbol of their nation. Officials say that they would be ready to accept his body in Minsk honorably if Moscow begins to implement the plan to finally bury the deceased leader of the world’s working class. A special monument resembling Lenin’s Tomb is likely to be built for him in the Belarusian capital. Sources from the team of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko maintain that this issue has been repeatedly discussed at the highest level. Lukashenko believes that burying Lenin is a crime. The head of state is sure that Lenin’s presence in Minsk will unite the Belarusian nation before outside enemies. All sociological surveys confirm that there is strong nostalgia for the Soviet past in Belarus. The debate about burying Lenin’s body flared up again on the eve of his birth anniversary this year. Several political parties and movements including the Orthodox Church and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia with its head Vladimir Zhirinovsky demanded Lenin be carried away from the Red Square and transported to Ulyanovsk - his home town...."

Scientists find 200,000-year-old human hair in hyena dung from Gladysvale Cave (telegraph.co.uk)

"Paleontologists found 40 strands of fossilized hair inside samples of coprolite, or fossilized dung, from a cave in South Africa that was used by brown hyenas. Until now the oldest samples of human hair were from a 9,000 year old mummy found in northern Chile. It is extremely rare for soft tissue such as hair, skin and muscle to survive more than a few hundred years and only hard tissue like bone is fossilized normally. But scientists believe the new samples of hair are the remains of an early species of human that was scavenged by hyenas after death, allowing the delicate hairs to be preserved inside the dung as it fossilized. They now hope that future analysis of the hairs could help to shed light on exactly which species it came from, the color of their hair and even the state of health of the person it came from. Dr Lucinda Backwell, a paleontologist at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, who led the group that found the hairs, said: "This find is so unusual as the human fossil record at this time is exceedingly poor, and of course hair is relatively fragile and degrades easily. It is the first non-bony material in the early hominid fossil record. "As analytical techniques become more advanced they could shed light on what the person looked like, their state of health, and other aspects that cannot be investigated with current technologies." The researchers, who include archaeologists from York University and University of Bradford, used tweezers to remove 40 hairs from a single piece of dung found in a fossilized hyena latrine near Sterkfontein caves, where other early human remains have been found. They compared the fossilized hairs to samples from modern humans, primates and other animals in an attempt to identify them...."

Mummified cat put up for auction on eBay (thetelegraphandargus.co.uk)

"A mummified cat which fell on a builder’s head as he pulled down the ceiling of a Victorian city centre building is being auctioned on eBay. The ancient specimen is available to a good home via the online marketplace website, with the auction due to end next Friday [15 May, 2009]. Graham Hall, a partner of Bradford-based property auctioneers Harry Hall and Company, decided to cash in on the gruesome find at Dale Chambers in Dale Street and donate the takings to the RSPCA. The building, a former warehouse, was being converted into flats when a Polish builder got a surprise when it fell on his head – and reportedly said: “Big mice you have in England!” Mr Hall said: “I was quite sure people would bid for it. It isn’t decomposed at all, it’s just dried out – it’s horrific when you look at it. It looks like a gargoyle.” On the auction site, Mr Hall states: “It is certainly a gruesome beast, and a real talking point. Even if you haven’t got a morbid fascination, you cannot fail to be intrigued by it. On the auction site, Mr Hall states: “It is certainly a gruesome beast, and a real talking point. Even if you haven’t got a morbid fascination, you cannot fail to be intrigued by it. Mr Hall said he is at a loss as to how long the cat had been lodged between the ceiling and floorboards on the third floor but thought it could have been trapped when the building was constructed in the 1840s...."

Cazenovia Public Library unveils new, improved mummy exhibit (syracuse.com)

"A new exhibit at the Cazenovia Public Library is helping better tell the story of how a 2,000-year-old Egyptian mummy made its way to Madison County. Robert James Hubbard toured Egypt, Europe and the Near East with his son in 1894 and sent his souvenirs home to Cazenovia, where he had recently donated a building for a library. His "Museum of Curiosities," including dozens of artifacts purchased at bazaars and open-air markets in Cairo, have delighted generations of local residents and thousands of schoolchildren who tour the collection every year to learn about ancient civilizations. The library will rededicate the museum today after a winter of renovations designed to make the artifacts more comprehensive and educational. Museum educators Pat Hill and Julia Smith Schotzberger - both scientists by trade - and researcher Jon Holstein spent the winter putting together the display with the technical assistance of Hamilton's Exhibition Alliance and a $24,500 grant from the Central New York Community Foundation. The team combed through Hubbard's diaries, kept on file at Lorenzo State Historic Site, and supplemented their findings with other historical sources...."

2,300-year-old mummified puppy found in Egyptian tomb (msnbc.com)

"A small bundle found at the feet of an ancient Egyptian mummy whose tomb was inscribed with the phrase "Hapi-Men" contained the remains of a young dog, according to University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology staff who have named the canine "Hapi-Puppy." The approximately 2,300-year-old puppy, revealed during a recent CT scan, is thought to be one of the world's rarest mummified animals. Early Egyptians often preserved cats, birds and even crocodiles, but not often dogs. Jennifer Wegner, a senior research scientist in the museum's Egyptian section, explained to Discovery News that unlike some of the other more commonly mummified animals, the ancient Egyptians "had no dog gods, per se, although certain gods, like Anubis, could take the form of a jackal." "In this case, we think Hapi-Men simply wanted to be buried with his beloved pet," she said, explaining that "Hapi-Men" translates roughly to, "The Apis bull endures," referring to the bull god Apis. Patients at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania must have been surprised when, just over a week ago, Hapi-Men, Hapi-Puppy were hauled into the hospital's CT scanning room. Computed tomography creates detailed three-dimensional images of objects by compiling multiple photographed "slices." The researchers had no trouble sliding the mummies into the machine, but the mummies' length required two partial body scans with overlaps...."

Is Cleopatra's mummy about to be found? Archaeologists to dig at three sites in the temple of Taposiris Magna (ap.com)

"Archaeologists next week will begin excavating three sites in Egypt near the Mediterranean Sea that may contain the tombs of doomed lovers, Cleopatra and Mark Anthony. In a statement Wednesday, Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities said the three sites were identified last month during a radar survey of the temple of Taposiris Magna as part of the search for the lovers' tombs. The temple is located on Lake Mariut which is today called Abusir, near the northern coastal city of Alexandria, and was built during the reign of King Ptolemy II (282-246 B.C.). Teams from Egypt and the Dominican Republic have been excavating the temple for the last three years. The celebrated queen of Egypt and her lover, a Roman general, committed suicide after being defeated in the battle of Actium in 31 BC. Ever since, questions have lingered over where the lovers' bodies are buried. Excavators have also found a number of deep shafts inside the temple, three of which were possibly used for burials. The leaders of the excavation believe it's possible Cleopatra and Mark Anthony could have been buried in a deep shaft similar those already found, according to the statement. Last year, archaeologists at the site also unearthed a bronze statue of the goddess Aphrodite, the alabaster head of a Queen Cleopatra statue, a mask believed to belong to Mark Anthony and a headless statue from the Ptolemaic era at the excavation site. The expedition also found 22 coins bearing Cleopatra's image...."

More about the Dominican archaeologist searching for Cleopatra (dominicantoday.com)

More about the possible discovery (with photo of the temple) (latimes.com)

An interesting essay about Cleopatra (nytimes.com)

Another 400-year old mummified cat--this one in Whitby cottage (whitbygazette.co.uk)

"A 400-year-old mummified cat has been found in the walls of a Whitby cottage. The cat, which still has its claws and teeth, may have been placed in the walls of the cottage in Henrietta Street to ward off evil spirits. Property renovator and listed building restorer Stuart Brown from Sleights found the cat in the property which is owned by Tim Deacon and his wife Kate. The cottage has been owned by Mrs Deacon's family for many years. Mr Brown said: "We were renovating the old ceilings above the fireplace in the lounge when the cat fell out. It's dark grey, mummified and perished; it's just skin, no fur. "According to local myth and legend, apparently 400 years ago people put cats behind walls to ward off witches. We plan to put it back on completion of the building work." The fisherfolk of Whitby were renowned for being superstitious and in the 1816 Census of Whitby seven women gave their occupation as sorceress or fortune-teller. It was a local custom to brick a cat up alive in the chimney when building a new house, to ensure good luck and ward off evil spirits...." 

French judge closes plastination exhibit (guardian.co.uk)

"A Paris exhibition of preserved corpses has been ordered to close after a judge ruled it was an affront to the dignity of the human body. The court demanded the seizure of the human remains and discussions on their proper burial. The exhibition, Our Body: À Corps Ouvert, features 17 Chinese bodies in various positions, some skinless or with muscles flayed. Their bodily fluids have been replaced with plastic to preserve them along the lines of methods invented by the controversial, fedora-wearing German anatomist Gunther von Hagens, whose London show Body Worlds caused outrage and drew large crowds in 2002. Von Hagens is not associated with the Paris exhibition. Two French human rights group brought a complaint against the private organisers of the Paris show, which has been running since February. They called for its closure saying the company should produce evidence to show the bodies came from consenting individuals after concerns over a black market in Chinese prisoners' remains. The Paris judge said legally, the proper place for corpses was "in a cemetery", and displaying corpses for commercial profit showed a lack of respect for the dead. The exhibition, which had already attracted a total of 145,000 visitors in Lyon and Marseille, was expected to run until May and move to another Paris location in August. But it was today given 24 hours to close...."

No new clothes for Lenin's mummy: Economic crisis claims another victim (rian.ru)

"The ongoing economic crisis has already had an effect on everyone in Russia, from oligarchs to humble office workers, and now even Lenin in his Red Square mausoleum has felt the pinch. On the eve of the 139th anniversary of the birth of the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution, financial difficulties mean that Lenin will be forced to continue wearing an old suit for the sixth straight year, the Trud newspaper said on Tuesday. Lenin's embalmed body has been on public display in a glass case in the mausoleum since his death following a series of strokes in 1924. Tuesday saw the reopening of the mausoleum to the public after two months of maintenance work, during which Lenin's corpse was bathed in special preserving fluids. "This is a unique technology," Yury Denisov-Nikolski, the vice-director of the scientific research institute that carried out the work, told the paper. "Thanks to it, Lenin will be able to lie here for another hundred years." However, the expert also bemoaned the lack of government funding for the mausoleum. "The state hasn't allocated a single kopek since 1992. Everything is held together by the Lenin Mausoleum foundation and donors," he said. "On top of this, the crisis has struck hard. How can we change his suit in these economic conditions?" Lenin's suits are traditionally ordered from Switzerland and made of the finest materials. A new one is usually purchased every three years...."

Mummified body found in car stolen 12 years ago (montrealgazette.com)

"Russian police found a mummified body in a car reported stolen 12 years ago, a police source told the Interfax news agency Tuesday. Russian police found a mummified body in a car reported stolen 12 years ago, a police source told the Interfax news agency Tuesday. An investigation has been launched."

400-year-old cat mummy kept witches away in house near Plymouth (thisisplymouth.co.uk)

"A 400-year-old cat is the last thing you would expect to find when renovating your home. But that is exactly what builders came across in the bathroom of an Ugborough cottage. Local legend has it that the mummified moggy was placed in the walls of the house near Plymouth to ward off witches four centuries ago and owner Richard Parson said it has done a good job so far. "I am of the opinion that it works as, since we have lived in the village, we have seen sight nor sound of any witches," he said. The new family pet has caused quite a stir in the village with neighbors telling tales of superstition and witchcraft. "We moved in 18 months ago and were told by neighbors about the cat which was found when there was building work done in the 1980s," said Mr. Parson, company director of funeral business Walter C Parson. "We were also told about a child's bootie, left in the house because it was once used as a cobblers and was supposed to bring luck. The exact location of the cat was a secret until it was unearthed." And despite spending 400 years cooped up in a wall, the cat is in pretty good shape and still has all its claws and teeth...."

Are you 'dying' to become a mummy? A new reality show seeks terminally-ill cast member to become mummified on camera (realitywanted.com)

From a casting call notice: "Have you ever considered donating your body to science? Are you or someone you know suffering from a terminal illness? Have you ever considered leaving behind a long lasting legacy by donating your body to science? We are a London based television company producing a documentary on modern mummification for the purposes of scientific research. The documentary will be filmed in the US and Egypt and will focus on an individual who has chosen to have their body embalmed and mummified, or preserved long term, after death. This is an opportunity to be part of major groundbreaking medical (and ecological) research. And the results of this research will be published in an internationally pre-eminent science magazine, and the story both personal and scientific will be told through the documentary. As a part of the process, if appropriate, we would like to fly our volunteer and members of his or her family to Egypt (all expenses paid) and film the final stages of their life in order to obtain a greater understanding of the Ancient Egyptian funerary practice. Participation Requirements: We are seeking individuals who are over the age of 18 years old. We would also like our volunteer to be someone who has a very strong support system: be it friends or family. If you are selected as the subject of this documentary in addition to travel expenses to Egypt we will cover your future funeral expenses...."

Two mummies undergo CT-scans (abclocal.go.com)

"A couple of 2,000-year-old patients checked into the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania this morning. Two ancient mummies that were on display at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology were carefully transported to the hospital. There, they underwent CT scans. Researchers are hoping the scans will give them new insight into the mummies' history."

Scythian mummies entombed in permafrost in danger from global warming (russia-ic.com)

"Archeologists of the world beat alarm: most precious historical monuments can vanish under the influence of climate changes. The salvation of Scythian entombments in Altai is now a matter of extraordinary importance for archeologists. Many of the entombments had been conserved in the permafrost for more than 2000 years. Bodies of Scythian chiefs had been mummified with frost, which preserved their clothes, weapons, decorations and everything else intact. The problem is that the climate in Altai is rapidly warming up; the glaciers are melting down, and, for the first time since their being sealed 3000 years ago, as archeologists say, they have started melting down and getting washed out. Thus, Jean Bourgeois, an archeologist at Ghent University warns that the rise of average temperature by 1 or 2 degrees will be enough to destroy everything that had been kept for centuries in the Altaian tumuli. He hopes to find an artificial way of bringing down the temperature around the entombments, for example, by painting the tumuli to prevent them from absorbing sunlight and stabilize the temperature inside of them...."