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These Are the World’s Oldest Mummies

Season 52 | 2m 49s

Across southeastern Asia, researchers have identified dozens of mummies that are between 4,000 and 11,00 years old. After scanning the bones with invisible wavelengths of light, they found that almost all the bodies have been exposed to heat, preserved for millennia by smoke from a fire.

National Corporate funding for NOVA is provided by Carlisle Companies and Viking Cruises. Major funding for NOVA is provided by the NOVA Science Trust, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.
Extras
Ancient bones reveal that early Homo sapiens and Neanderthals didn’t just coexist.
Inside the Tunnel of Bones, a macabre Neanderthal mystery unfolds.
This form of bear hunting took nerves of steel.
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It became the basis for most written languages, beginning 4,000 years ago in the Sinai desert.
What archaeologists found here reveals one of the biggest turning points in human history.
A dangerous spacewalk, a toxic leak, and a breathtaking view of Earth.
From fruit flies to snake venom, evolutionary biologist Sean Carroll explains what drives evolution.
Can we really bring extinct species back? Evolutionary biologist Beth Shapiro says yes.
See how ingenuity and teamwork keep the crew alive and doing science 250 miles above Earth.
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