Scent of mummy: Research discovers ancient Egyptian remains smell nice

London: At first whiff, it sounds repulsive: sniff the essence of an ancient corpse. “In films and books, terrible things happen to those who smell mummified bodies,” said Cecilia Bembibre, director of research at University College London's Institute for Sustainable Heritage. “We were specifically worried that there might be indications of microbial degradation, but that was not the case, which means that the environment in this museum, is actually quite good in terms of preservation.” Using technical instruments to measure and quantify air molecules emitted from sarcophagi to determine the state of preservation without touching the mummies was like the Holy Grail, Strlič said. “We believe that this approach is potentially of huge interest to other types of museum collections.” Barbara Huber, a postdoctoral researcher at Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Germany who was not involved in the study, said the findings provide crucial data on compounds that could preserve or degrade mummified remains. “Over thousands of years, evaporation, oxidation, and even storage conditions have significantly altered the original scent profile.” Huber authored a study two years ago that analyzed residue from a jar that had contained mummified organs of a noblewoman to identify embalming ingredients, their origins and what they revealed about trade routes.