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Don't hold your breath to find out if constants change
ANDREW WADE
IN BRIEF Sleeping sickness drugs demystified
Heading for the afterlife? Don’t forget a packed lunch ANCIENT Egyptians paid special attention to the organs of their dead, embalming them so they would continue to function in the afterlife. Now it seems they did the same for sacrificed ibis birds, and even packed their stomachs with food so they wouldn’t go hungry. Ibis mummies are found in their millions at shrines in Egypt, where they were sacrificed to Thoth, the god of writing and wisdom. Andrew Wade at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada, and his colleagues used a CT scanner to look inside two mummified adult ibises and one hatchling. This revealed that embalmers
had removed their internal organs. The adult gizzards, complete with snail shells which may have come from the birds’ last meals, were then replaced. The hatchling’s body cavity had been stuffed with grain (Journal of Archaeological Science, DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2012.01.003). Studies of human mummies show that ancient Egyptians often removed and embalmed the lungs and digestion organs before placing them back inside the body – perhaps so they might work in the afterlife. The ibis mummies suggest Egyptians believed that birds also travelled to the afterlife, says Wade. “It suggests the provision of an afterlife food source to the bird,” he says, “and lends support to the idea that the viscera of ibises and humans alike were meant to continue their living function within the afterlife.”
Why the biological clock stops ticking QEBfjjrkbpvpqbjj^vmi^v ^olibfkpqlmmfkd^tlj^kÑp _flildf`^i`il`h+ GlekMboov^qqebRkfsbopfqv lcLucloa^ka`liib^drbpillhba ^q10dbkljf`pqrafbplcqeb jbklm^rpb)`lsbofkdjlobqe^k 2-)---tljbk+?v`ljm^ofkd qeb^dbqe^qjbklm^rpb_bd^k) MboovÑpqb^jfabkqfcfba.0obdflkp tfqemlppf_ibifkhpqljbklm^rpb qfjfkd+Qeobblcqebobdflkptbob
elrpbatfqefkdbkbp^ppl`f^qba tfqeqebfjjrkbpvpqbj+Lqebo obdflkpl``roobatfqefkdbkbp qe^q`lkqolidbkbobm^fo)obdri^qb elojlkbp^kaqofddbo fkci^jj^qflk%K^qrobDbkbqf`p) ALF7.-+.-05,kd+.-2.&+ FqÑpklqvbq`ib^otebqeboqeb fjjrkbpvpqbjfpqebj^fk aofsbolcqebjbklm^rpblo jbobiv^_^`hpb^qmi^vboql _flildf`^iclo`bppr`e^p
PIBBMFKDpf`hkbppfp^clojfa^_ib clb)hfiifkdqelrp^kapfk>cof`^ bsbovvb^o+Qebob^oblkivcfsb aordpql`lj_^qqebm^o^pfqbqe^q `^rpbpqebafpb^pb)^kaqebv`^k e^sbpbsbobpfabbccb`qp+Tlopb) qebm^o^pfqbfp_b`ljfkdobpfpq^kq+ ÎFctbhkbteltqebaordp tloh)tb`lriamboe^mpabpfdk _bqqbolkbp)Ïp^vpA^sfaEloklc qebIlkalkP`ellilcEvdfbkb^ka Qolmf`^iJbaf`fkb+ Qlfksbpqfd^qb)ElokÑpi^_ dbkbo^qbaOK>jlib`ribptef`e fk^`qfs^qba`boq^fkm^o^pfqbdbkbp+ Qebvqebkbumlpbam^o^pfqbpql qebOK>^ptbii^pb^`elcqebcfsb aordp+Fcqebm^o^pfqbpprosfsba) qebkqebOK>jrpqe^sb_il`hba^ dbkbkbbabacloqe^qaordqltloh+ Fkqefpt^vqebqb^jfabkqfcfba 22dbkbpqe^qqebaordpfkqbo^`q tfqeÌ^pqbmqlt^oaptlohfkdlrq eltqebvhfiiqebm^o^pfqb^ka cfkafkdp^cboaordptfqeqebp^jb bccb`q%K^qrob)ALF7.-+.-05, k^qrob.-44.&+
Changing constant? Only time will tell
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16 | NewScientist | 28 January 2012
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23/1/12 17:16:18
IN BRIEF Sleeping sickness drugs demystified
Heading for the afterlife? Don’t forget a packed lunch ANCIENT Egyptians paid special attention to the organs of their dead, embalming them so they would continue to function in the afterlife. Now it seems they did the same for sacrificed ibis birds, and even packed their stomachs with food so they wouldn’t go hungry. Ibis mummies are found in their millions at shrines in Egypt, where they were sacrificed to Thoth, the god of writing and wisdom. Andrew Wade at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada, and his colleagues used a CT scanner to look inside two mummified adult ibises and one hatchling. This revealed that embalmers
had removed their internal organs. The adult gizzards, complete with snail shells which may have come from the birds’ last meals, were then replaced. The hatchling’s body cavity had been stuffed with grain (Journal of Archaeological Science, DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2012.01.003). Studies of human mummies show that ancient Egyptians often removed and embalmed the lungs and digestion organs before placing them back inside the body – perhaps so they might work in the afterlife. The ibis mummies suggest Egyptians believed that birds also travelled to the afterlife, says Wade. “It suggests the provision of an afterlife food source to the bird,” he says, “and lends support to the idea that the viscera of ibises and humans alike were meant to continue their living function within the afterlife.”
Why the biological clock stops ticking QEBfjjrkbpvpqbjj^vmi^v ^olibfkpqlmmfkd^tlj^kÑp _flildf`^i`il`h+ GlekMboov^qqebRkfsbopfqv lcLucloa^ka`liib^drbpillhba ^q10dbkljf`pqrafbplcqeb jbklm^rpb)`lsbofkdjlobqe^k 2-)---tljbk+?v`ljm^ofkd qeb^dbqe^qjbklm^rpb_bd^k) MboovÑpqb^jfabkqfcfba.0obdflkp tfqemlppf_ibifkhpqljbklm^rpb qfjfkd+Qeobblcqebobdflkptbob
elrpbatfqefkdbkbp^ppl`f^qba tfqeqebfjjrkbpvpqbj+Lqebo obdflkpl``roobatfqefkdbkbp qe^q`lkqolidbkbobm^fo)obdri^qb elojlkbp^kaqofddbo fkci^jj^qflk%K^qrobDbkbqf`p) ALF7.-+.-05,kd+.-2.&+ FqÑpklqvbq`ib^otebqeboqeb fjjrkbpvpqbjfpqebj^fk aofsbolcqebjbklm^rpblo jbobiv^_^`hpb^qmi^vboql _flildf`^iclo`bppr`e^p
PIBBMFKDpf`hkbppfp^clojfa^_ib clb)hfiifkdqelrp^kapfk>cof`^ bsbovvb^o+Qebob^oblkivcfsb aordpql`lj_^qqebm^o^pfqbqe^q `^rpbpqebafpb^pb)^kaqebv`^k e^sbpbsbobpfabbccb`qp+Tlopb) qebm^o^pfqbfp_b`ljfkdobpfpq^kq+ ÎFctbhkbteltqebaordp tloh)tb`lriamboe^mpabpfdk _bqqbolkbp)Ïp^vpA^sfaEloklc qebIlkalkP`ellilcEvdfbkb^ka Qolmf`^iJbaf`fkb+ Qlfksbpqfd^qb)ElokÑpi^_ dbkbo^qbaOK>jlib`ribptef`e fk^`qfs^qba`boq^fkm^o^pfqbdbkbp+ Qebvqebkbumlpbam^o^pfqbpql qebOK>^ptbii^pb^`elcqebcfsb aordp+Fcqebm^o^pfqbpprosfsba) qebkqebOK>jrpqe^sb_il`hba^ dbkbkbbabacloqe^qaordqltloh+ Fkqefpt^vqebqb^jfabkqfcfba 22dbkbpqe^qqebaordpfkqbo^`q tfqeÌ^pqbmqlt^oaptlohfkdlrq eltqebvhfiiqebm^o^pfqb^ka cfkafkdp^cboaordptfqeqebp^jb bccb`q%K^qrob)ALF7.-+.-05, k^qrob.-44.&+
Changing constant? Only time will tell
FQÑPqfjbqlab`i^ob^`b^pbcfobfk qebcfdeqqlcfkalrqtebqeboqeb `lkpq^kqplck^qrobs^ov+ Pljbl_pbos^qflkplcelt `lpjf`jlib`ribpbjfq^ka^_plo_ ifdeq^qriqo^sflibqt^sbibkdqep e^sbefkqbaqe^qqebcfkbpqor`qrob `lkpq^kq)obpmlkpf_ibcloqeb elojlk^icir`qr^qflkp+ÎQefp pqobkdqelcbib`qolj^dkbqfpj) tfii_b`ljb`ib^obotebktbe^sb fpklqqebp^jbqeolrdelrqqeb fabkqfcfbajloblcqebdbkbqf` rkfsbopb+?rqqebjb^probjbkqfp _^pfplcjbklm^rpblkpbq)Ïp^vp qof`hv)^kaobpb^o`ebope^aelmba Mboov+Eltbsbo)^dbkbqf`qbpqql qe^qpqravfkdo^aflt^sbibkdqep mobaf`qtebkjbklm^rpbtfii tlriadfsb^jlobmob`fpbobpriq+ _bdfkfppqfii^afpq^kqmolpmb`q+ Klqpl)p^vp^qb^jfk`irafkd Qebifkh_bqtbbklsri^qflk @eofp@^ofiiflcqebK^qflk^iO^afl ^kaqebfjjrkbpvpqbjfpkÑq >pqolkljvL_pbos^qlovfkKbt rkbumb`qba7pljbtljbktfqe Jbuf`l%^oufs+lod,^_p,./-.+004/s.&+ mofj^ovls^of^kfkprccf`fbk`v) ÎFqafakÑqm^klrq)Ïebp^vp)^aafkd telrkabodl^krkrpr^iivb^oiv qe^qfq`lriaq^hb/-vb^opqlj^hb jbklm^rpb)e^sb^k^rqlfjjrkb bklrdel_pbos^qflkpqlpbqqib afpb^pblcqebls^ofbp+ qebnrbpqflk+
16 | NewScientist | 28 January 2012
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