CINCINNATI (AP) - Medical scans of mummified remains in a touring exhibit at an Ohio museum show a girl who lived more than 500 years ago in Peru.
The Cincinnati Museum Center recently reported the results of a collaborative effort with Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center to learn more about the remains. The mummy is part of "Mummies of the World: The Exhibition" on display at the museum through April 26.
The body was taken to the hospital in January to undergo X-rays and computer tomography. Dr. Andrew Trout, a Children's Hospital radiologist, says the machines produced stunning images of "beautifully preserved" bones and organs.
Hannah Gill-Frerking, director of science and education for the exhibit at the museum, and Trout estimate the child was about 3 years old.
The girl's people most likely placed her body in a space where the dead were kept, and Peru's hot, dry climate allowed for natural mummification. The mummy was found sometime in the mid-20th century near El Cima, about 25 miles east of Peru's capital, Lima, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported. A donor gave her to the San Diego Museum of Man in 1978.
Images of the girl's bones testify to seasonal food shortages, according to Trout and Gill-Frerking.
They say the body did not show signs of violence or chronic disease.