5 ancient secrets revealed by modern technology

But despite having collected their relics decades prior, scientists often have to wait for technology to catch up in order to make their most groundbreaking discoveries.

More than 25 years after discovering Little Foot, the team has now been able to use cutting-edge X-ray technology to analyze her skull in fine detail.

This new technology, officially called synchrotron X-ray micro-computed tomography, works similarly to a medical CT scan, creating X-ray slices of the body — all without doing any damage to the delicate samples.

The analysis of Little Foot is only just starting but researchers have already been able to see into her past, including looking at possible childhood illnesses. The research was published this month in the journal e-Life.

Using a technique called XROMM (X-ray Reconstruction of Moving Morphology), a team of researchers from Brown University analyzed the steps of both guineafowl and alligators to create 3D joint models.

Crocodilians like alligators and crocodiles are closely related to birds. Both are archosaurs, a group of animals all related to dinosaurs.

Using this analysis, the researchers were able to determine that ancient archosaurs would have likely walked a little bit duck-footed. Not so fearsome after all.

Centuries later, researchers discovered a new way to read the secret content of these letters without ever breaking the seal.

To do that, scientists turned to X-ray microtomography to create a 3D map of the letters and pull out their written content based on the chemical difference between ink and paper.

These particular letters didn’t appear to contain any state-toppling secrets, but you never know what the next might hold. Similar technologies have been considered to analyze the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Comparing genomic data coming from a mammoth tusk, the team determined that the specimen represented a new species of mammoth previously unknown to Siberia.

Beyond mammoths, this discovery can also help scientists explore the limits of analyzing ancient DNA.

Previous studies of the mummy in the 1960s had concluded based on his injuries that he was likely murdered while sleeping or in a chariot. But modern scientists weren’t so sure, so they decided to take a closer look.

Using computed tomography or CT (a type of super-quick, 360-degree X-ray) scientists have now uncovered previously unknowable details of his final moments.

The CT scan revealed previously hidden injuries and helped scientists theorize that Seqenenre was likely killed on the front lines of battle — defending his people — and brought back to Thebes for proper mummification.