screaming mummy

An Egyptian woman who was mummified with her mouth open in a silent scream may have died of a heart attack, new research finds. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the mummy found widespread atherosclerosis, deposits of fatty plaques within the blood vessels. Egyptologists argue that the woman died alone of a massive heart attack and was not found for several hours, by which point rigor mortis set in. Her jaw, which may have fallen open in death, was then frozen open forever. However, outside researchers are skeptical of this story. Mummification was a long process, and rigor mortis lasts … Read more