Explore the more mysterious sides of science this Halloween when Discovery Science Centre presents Spooky Science — Mummies!

From Oct. 12 to Nov. 4, 2007, decode hieroglyphs, build your knowledge of pyramids and get the gruesome, gory facts behind the mummification process.

Did you know that mummies are buried all around the world? In addition to Egypt, mummification was a popular burial method in South America. Explore the cultural differences between the processes of making a mummy in this special exhibition.

Discovery Science Centre's annual Spooky Science exhibition is a SPOOKtacular good time! Participate in fun science experiments, enjoy trick-or-treat goodie bags and explore a spooky maze. Get wrapped up in science this Halloween!

Located at 2500 N. Main St. in Santa Ana, California, Taco Bell Discovery Science Centre is Orange County's leading destination for hands-on science fun. Guests can explore more than 100 hands-on science exhibits in themed areas: Discovery Stadium, Techno Arts, Air & Space, Perception, Dynamic Earth, Quake Zone, KidStation, the Digital Lab and Dino Quest...

Unwrap mummy mysteries this Halloween at Discovery Science Centre, Julie Smith, Discovery Science Centre, California, USA, August 20, 2007.

Yet another public controversy has caught the Ministry of Culture, though this time it does not involve the person of Minister Farouk Hosni — one of the most controversial figures in the cabinet over his 20-year tenure. Frequently, during this time, Hosni was locked in conflict with National Democratic Party and other politicians over what were seen as excessively liberal positions he held.

This time the furore involves, rather, two of his aides: the head of the Nubian Antiquities Salvage Fund Hussein Ahmed Hussein; and Ayman Abdel-Moneim, who is both director-general of the Cultural Development Fund and general supervisor of the Historic Cairo Development Project. Both were arrested on charges of bribery: Hussein was caught red-handed with an LE10,000 bribe from a contractor vying for the Nubian Museum restoration project; Abdel-Moneim was accused of amassing possessions from contractors working in Ministry of Culture restoration projects. Early investigations have revealed that both defendants unlawfully received a range of gifts from luxuriously furnished apartments in Cairo's fashionable districts and plots of land to rugs and meals of fish. Together with three contractors involved in the case, they will be in detention for 15 days pending the results of further investigation. The allegation that expenses of contractors working on archaeological sites were being disbursed in return for bribes taken by some of the ministry's top officials were first made in 2006, when the Administrative Control Authority (ACA) started on the case. As a result of investigations made since, all five defendants may face trial at the formidable Supreme State Security Court...

Mixed signals, Nevine El-Aref, Al-Ahram, Egypt, Issue No. 858, August 16 - 22, 2007.

From July 29th until August 4th, 2007, I was in Japan. The reason for my visit was the opening of an exhibit at Waseda University, which is celebrating both its 125th anniversary and 40 years of archaeological exploration in Egypt. The exhibit showcases objects from Waseda's excavations at Dashur, Saqqara, and Abusir. Organized by Dr. Sakuji Yoshimura, it will tour 10 cities in Japan.

I attended the opening ceremony with our active ambassador, Hesham Badr, as well Dr. Yoshimura and the president of Waseda University. Each one of us gave a speech before we joined together in cutting the ribbon. After the ceremony, there was a reception...

A Visit to Japan, Zahi Hawass, The Plateau, Guardian's Egypt, August 17, 2007.

O2 customers will get the chance to act like kings for the day with priority access to the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibition at The O2.

After a 35 year break, Tutankhamun is finally returning to London on 15th November for 9 months, with the initial week of the exhibition (15th November — 21st November [2007]) only open to O2 customers and their guests who will be the first to marvel at the ancient treasures housed in the cultural hub of The O2, The O2 bubble.

In a further move to treat its customers like royalty, O2 has also arranged for its customers to be able to exclusively purchase tickets for The O2's Tutankhamun exhibition in a pre-sale period from 29th August-11th September, before the public sale commences on 12th September. Customers have to text TUT to 2020 to receive.

their unique password for that exclusive week.

O2 customers interested in Tutankhamun will also be able visit the blueroom online and O2 Active to interact with treasure hunt games, a discussion area and a hieroglyphics generator.

The last time Tutankhamun's treasures visited London was at The British Museum in 1972 with an attendance of over 1.7 million visitors, setting a world record...

O2 customers to get first look at King Tut exhibition, Amy-Mae Elliott, Yahoo! News, UK, August 24, 2007.

Museums in Las Cruces have had a record number of visitors this summer. Despite the thermometer topping out at more than 100 degrees on some days, many people ventured out of their homes to see exhibits such as "Ansel Adams, the Man Who Captured the Earth's Beauty" at the Museum of Art, at 491 N. Main St...

[Will Ticknor] said both the King Tut and Ansel Adams exhibits helped lure people into the museums...

Museums experience record attendance, Jenn Kistler, Las Cruces Sun-News, New Mexico, USA, August 24, 2007.

UNESCO has chosen Egyptian professor of genetics Nagwa Abdel Hamid as a member in the international arbitration panel of UNESCO L'oreal Prize.

The annual award is given to Women in Science who have distinguished themselves globally in the scientific research field.

Egyptian prof. chosen as first Arab member in UNESCO panel, Egypt State Information Service, Egypt, August 20, 2007..

Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni said all restoration operations to save Historical Cairo districts are made according to the international technical and scientific standards laid down by UNESCO.

"This huge project was launched in 1992 following the October earthquake that hit Egypt and caused big damage to the capital's antiquities and old sites," the Minister said.

Hosni pointed out that the project has aimed at restoring rare and unique 517 archaeological sites on four phases.

Historical Cairo restoration made according to int'l standards, Egypt State Information Service, Egypt, August 20, 2007.

"A stolen 4,500-year-old Egyptian artefact that was to be included in a New York auction in back home on Saturday", Culture Minister Farouk Hosni said Sunday 19/08/2007.

The duck-shaped alabaster vessel belonging to Amenemhat III, one of the most important kings of the 12th dynasty, was last year spotted on Christie's auction list by Interpol, which notified Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the US. The piece had been smuggled into the US in 1982.

The vessel was excavated in 1979 by a German team of archaeologists at the pyramid of Amenemhat III, the sixth ruler of Egypt's 12th dynasty.

Secretary-General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities Dr. Zahi Hawass said all legal steps were taken in coordination with the Egyptian Consulate in New York to secure the return of the exquisite antique...

Stolen Amenemhat III alabaster duck flown back to Egypt, Egypt State Information Service, Egypt, August 20, 2007.

cf. Egypt recovers two artefacts from US, Egypt State Information Service, Egypt, August 18, 2007.

Millions of Egyptians could be forced permanently from their homes, the country's ability to feed itself devastated.

That's what likely awaits this already impoverished and overpopulated nation by the end of the century, if predictions about climate change hold true. The World Bank describes Egypt as particularly vulnerable to the effects of global warming, saying it faces potentially "catastrophic" consequences.

"The situation is serious and requires immediate attention. Any delay would mean extra losses," said Mohamed el-Raey, an environmental scientist at Alexandria University.

A big reason is the vulnerability of Egypt's breadbasket — the Nile Delta...

Global warming threatens Egypt's Nile Delta, Anna Johnson, AP via USA Today, New York, USA, August 24, 2007.

cf. Global warming causing Mediterranean Sea to rise, threatening Egypt's lush Nile Delta, Anna Johnson, AP via PR-inside, USA, August 24, 2007.

The Oriental Institute Museum showcases 8,000 artifacts from some of the ancient empires — including those of Mesopotamia, Persia and Egypt — that gave birth to modern civilization. Some of the oldest cultural relics go back more than 5,000 years.

Impressive stuff. Yet, the free Hyde Park attraction has only a relatively modest attendance of about 60,000 visitors each year. In fact, some refer to the 16,000-square-foot museum as the proverbial hidden jewel.

"It drives us crazy when people call us that," says Gil Stein, director of the Oriental Institute that oversees the site.

Stein said the museum doesn't have much of a marketing budget to compete with Chicago's major tourism draws. He added that the institute's mission is largely academic and driven by the continuing research of staff archaeologists...

Wander off beaten path to find mummies, Peoria Journal Star, Illinois, USA, August 19, 2007.

Even though the scanning and handling of the Putnam Museum’s two mummies — believed to be thousands of years old — was serious business Tuesday afternoon at Genesis Medical Center’s West Central Park campus in Davenport, hospital staff still had fun with their unusual guests.

“I don’t think he’ll survive,” radiologist Andrew Berkow quipped about the wrapped mummy, spurring laughter as the Bangles’ “Walk Like an Egyptian” and Steve Martin’s “King Tut” songs played in the background.

For the first time in museum history, the mummies were temporarily removed Tuesday from the Putnam and brought by ambulance to Genesis for modern CT, or computed tomography, scans of the mummy skeletons...

The male mummy’s body is “kind of in bad shape,” Berkow said, explaining how several of its ribs are broken and its back is broken in at least one place.

He thinks those fractures happened after the male was dead, probably by rough handling before it arrived at the museum...

The scans of the unwrapped mummy, known as Isis Neferit or “beautiful Isis,” didn’t show any noticeable bone fractures at first glance. However, it does appear it was a female, probably a young one at death, Berkow said.

“There’s not a lot of arthritis in her spine,” he said...

Mummies' exodus to Genesis goes well, Kay Luna, Quad-City Times, Iowa, USA, August 22, 2007.

cf. Putnam's mummies to get a CT scan, Amy Rausch, Quad-City Times, Iowa, USA, August 20, 2007.

Previously:

Iowa museum mummies to undergo CT scans, August 20, 2007.