In May of last year, the scientific world made a magnificent discovery. A mummy, which was first brought to Warsaw in 1826 and re-examined today, was found to be pregnant, and even a fetus was found in its womb. A new and interesting result has emerged today about the fetus in the womb of a woman thought to have lived about 2,000 years ago.
The mummy discovered was the world’s first pregnant mummy. Therefore, this situation increased the interest in the fetus inside more than the mummy itself. How was the fetus inside a mummy preserved over time? New research published in the Journal of Archaeological Science has revealed the answer to this question: The fetus was ‘becoming pickles’.
The fetus remained in an acidic environment:
According to the published research, the fetus had not been subjected to any intervention in the womb until today and it started to become ‘pickled’. Yes, scientists used to describe the condition of the fetus as “being pickled”. Well what does it mean? Explaining the situation in a blog post, scientists explained this situation as follows:
“It’s not the most aesthetic comparison, but it conveys the idea. The blood pH in corpses, including the contents of the uterus, drops significantly, becoming more acidic, and ammonia and formic acid concentrations increase over time. ”
The mummification process to which the expectant mother was subjected had sealed the womb in an almost airtight space. While air and oxygen access to the fetus was almost completely limited, the scientists noted that this spawned two mummies at once. The fetus was in an acidic, ‘swamp-like’ environment, which had dried up due to the mother, the mummy.
There could be more pregnant mummies in the world:
On the other hand, the research also revealed a fact: The fetus inside the mummies lost their bones over time due to an acidic environment. This meant that these fetuses would not show up on X-ray machines. The researchers also emphasized this issue and told other researchers to carefully examine the soft tissues and announced that there may be more pregnant mummies around the world.
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