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How the grisly trade in mummified body parts has created a modern 'mummy’s curse'

thenationalnews.com · 5h · first reportShare

A gruesome trade in mummified human body parts, including heads, is putting collectors and even postal workers at risk, new research suggests. People who handle remains could be exposed to hazardous chemicals used as preservatives and to microorganisms that thrive in decaying material, according to the study. The buying and selling of body parts, often through social media sites, has been described as “shocking” and disrespectful to the dead, who are unlikely to have consented to their remains being traded. In a paper in the International Journal of Cultural Property , researchers analysed scores of online posts advertising items for sale. They identified what they branded “the real mummy’s curse” – the dangers posed by handling or storing human body parts, including hands and feet. Fungal spores The mummy's curse refers to the belief that anyone opening an ancient Egyptian tomb will be cursed with bad luck, and the new research suggests a scientific basis for the myth. Previous work b