It's a man, baby! Scan reveals NY mummy is male

[June 24, 2009]  NEW YORK (AP) -- A scan performed at a suburban New York City hospital shows an ancient Egyptian mummy thought for centuries to be a woman is a man.

A Manhasset hospital examined four mummies from the Brooklyn Museum on Tuesday. A CAT scan revealed a mummy named Lady Hor was male.

Researchers conducted the scans with the hopes of gaining further knowledge about ancient funeral practices and the mummies' identities and causes of death.

North Shore University Hospital spokeswoman Michelle Pinto says the testing enables radiologists to learn about the skeletal systems of the mummies in extraordinary detail without having to do invasive or damaging procedures.

The mummies range in age from about 1,700 years old to more than 3,000 years old.

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On the Net:

Brooklyn Museum: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/

[Associated Press]

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