Minimally invasive bone biopsies of fully wrapped mummies guided by computed tomography and fibre-optic endoscopy: Methods and suggested guidelines
Abstract Recent advances in the recovery and analysis of ancient DNA (aDNA) and application of isotopic analysis of tissue obtained from mummified human remains has been accompanied by continued advances in non-invasive imaging using X-ray computed tomography (CT) and use of minimally invasive surgical techniques employing small fibre-optic endoscopes. We used these state-of-the-art techniques to examine ancient Egyptian mummies in the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection of Berlin, obtaining bone samples for aDNA, stable isotope analyses and radiocarbon dating. CT and endoscopic guidance were applied to locate and biopsy bones using pre-existing access points in order to avoid any furthe…
The Lady from Basel's Barfüsserkirche - Molecular confirmation of the Mummy's identity through mitochondrial DNA of living relatives spanning 22 generations.
Abstract The identity of the mummified Lady from the Barfusser Church in Basel, Switzerland has been unsolved for decades, despite the prominent location of the burial place in front of the choir screen. A recent multidisciplinary research approach came up with a possible candidate, Anna Catharina Bischoff who died in Basel in 1787 with an age of 69 years (1719–1787). To verify the identity of the mummy, genealogists of the Citizen Science Basel discovered three living individuals of the maternal lineage of two different family branches, separated from Anna Catharina Bischoff by up to 22 generations. In this study we compare the ancient mitochondrial DNA of the mummy recovered from a premol…