HOW CT SCANS WORK: CT scans use X-rays to image the body. X-rays can pass through most materials. It all depends on the size of the atoms that make up the material; larger atoms absorb X-ray photons, while smaller atoms do not, and the X-rays pass right through. For instance, the soft tissue in the body is composed of smaller atoms, so it doesn't absorb X-rays very well. But calcium atoms in the bones are much larger and do absorb X-rays. A camera on the other side of the patient records the patterns of X-ray light passing through the patient's body. In a CT scan, a series of X-ray beams is directed through the body from different angles. This creates cross-sections so scientists can get a better view of the body. The images are put together by a computer into a stack of pictures that can be viewed rapidly, like flipping through a deck of cards.
MUMMIFY ME: To mummify the deceased in Egypt, first, the brain was scrambled with hot, sharp hooks to liquefy the gray matter, then yanked out through the nostrils; the Egyptians didn't consider the brain to be an important asset for the afterlife, unlike the rest of the vital organs, which were carefully removed and stored in jars. The head was stuffed with sawdust and various resins, and the body covered in natron, a salt common to the region. This dried out the body and prevented decomposition. The corpse was then wrapped in strips of white linen treated with resins from fir and pine trees, beeswax, myrrh, palm wine, cassia, camphor oil, and other naturally microbe-resistant ingredients. The mummy was then wrapped in a sheet of canvas in a coffin, surrounded by various sacred charms and amulets.
The American Association of Physicists in Medicine and the Optical Society of America contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.