Taxi Driver Uncovers Mummy Secret
The accurate formula of how to make an ancient Egyptian mummy has been lost over the years, but taxi driver Alan Billis’ mummified body will contribute to changing that. He has been embalmed in liquid salt instead of the dry soda mixture, which experts originally believed that the Egyptians used. Scientists became aware of the alternative method during X-ray examinations, as they discovered salt deposits in an Egyptian mummy’s tissue – which would have been impossible, if the mummy had been embalmed in dry soda. Testing liquid brines on pig bodies, they found that the method left salt deposits in the tissue. The Alan Billis experiment will confirm the result with a human body.
POTENTIAL: Could disclose the original formula of ancient Egyptian mummies.
CHALLENGE: Many years will pass, before scientists can make any final conclusions based on Billis' mummy.