What do ancient Egyptian mummies smell like?
Scientists have found that ancient Egyptian mummified bodies emit woody, spicy, and sweet aromas, offering fresh insights into the mummification process, practices and materials. David Doyle has more.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
38 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Eating specific type of bread linked to deadly colon cancer, shock study finds
Regularly eating white, packaged bread could raise the risk of dying from colon cancer by more than a third, a new trial has suggested. Frequently consuming ham, bacon and sugary drinks carry the same increased chance of cancer death, US researchers found. Meanwhile, eating plenty of 'dark yellow' vegetables such as sweet potatoes and carrots, and drinking coffee, could offer some protection. Over the last 30 years, young diagnoses of the disease have shot up by 80 per cent across the globe, research shows. Scientists have suggested a host of factors are likely behind the phenomenon—from increased pollution to rising obesity and even invisible particles of plastic in drinking water. Now, US specialists have uncovered evidence that eating a high 'inflammatory diet' is could be an 'overlooked' cause. Foods that fall under the category include processed meats like bacon, ham and sausages, sugary drinks, refined carbohydrates like white pasta or bread and offal. Yet dark yellow vegetables like sweet potatoes and carrots, as well as coffee, wine and, surprisingly, pizza are all classed as 'anti-inflammatory foods' under the empirical dietary inflammatory pattern (EDIP)—a global tool that assesses foods on their 'inflammatory potential'. Pizza was classed as anti-inflammatory as it contains cooked tomatoes, which are high in the powerful antioxidant, lycopene. The study found colon cancer patients who ate more inflammatory food than 80 per cent of the volunteers had a 36 per cent higher risk of dying from their cancer than those who ate very little. Experts, presenting the findings at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference in Chicago, said that, while there is not yet enough evidence to support the anti-inflammatory diet as a recommendation for cancer patients, this may be the case in the near future. In the study, scientists tracked 1,625 patients with colon cancer that had spread to the nearby lymph glands, but not beyond. All volunteers completed food questionnaires about how often they consumed foods that fell under 18 food groups—nine pro-inflammatory and nine anti-inflammatory. Over a follow-up of three years researchers found that patients in the top 20 per cent of most inflammatory diets had a 36 per cent higher risk of dying from their cancer than those who consumed least. Those in the top 20 per cent also had an 87 per cent higher risk of death overall than the bottom 20 per cent. When exercise was taken into account, those who consumed the least inflammatory diet and maintained the highest levels of physical activity had a 63 per cent lower risk of death. ASCO president and top cancer specialist Julie Gralow said the findings suggested 'we need to be essentially prescribing healthy diet and exercise. The combination of the two are synergistic.' Dr Catherine Elliott, Cancer Research UK's director of research, also told MailOnline: 'This study adds to interesting emerging evidence about the role of inflammation in the progression of colon cancer. 'We need more high-quality research like this to help us uncover more about how our diet influences cancer outcomes. 'When it comes to food and cancer risk, our overall diet is far more important than any single food or ingredient. 'A healthy, balanced diet includes eating lots of fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, and healthy sources of protein like beans and chicken. 'Cutting down on processed and red meats, and foods high in fat, sugar and salt also helps.' It comes as other research presented at ASCO found colon cancer patients who stuck to an anti-inflammatory diet reduced their risk of the disease spreading or recurring by 38 per cent. The study, by scientists at Maimonides Medical Centre in New York, tracked the food habits of 796 patients who had been diagnosed with the disease between 2015 and 2023. They also found consuming a diet high in ultra-processed foods raised the odds almost two and a half times. 'Ultra-processed foods increase inflammation and colon cancer risk while anti-inflammatory diets offer protective benefits,' they said. 'Dietary intervention must play a role in preventing cancer.' Colon cancer, long considered a disease of old age, is increasingly striking people in their 20s, 30s and 40s in a phenomenon that has baffled doctors around the world. Over the last 30 years, young diagnoses of the disease have shot up by 80 per cent across the globe. Around 32,000 cases of colon cancer are diagnosed every year in the UK and 142,000 in the US.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Joanne Froggatt among signatories calling on Government to take action on Sudan
Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt is among dozens of famous faces who have called on the UK Government to take 'rapid action' and provide humanitarian aid to Sudan. Froggatt is among 50 high-profile people from TV, film, music and sport who have signed an open letter led by children's charity Plan International UK which calls on the Prime Minister to tackle the crisis in Sudan by maintaining funding commitments after announcing a cut in the foreign aid budget. The letter, which was also signed by Warfare's Will Poulter, Bridgerton actress Adjoa Andoh and singer-songwriter Cat Burns, will be delivered to 10 Downing Street on Monday alongside a petition signed by more than 8,500 members of the public. Froggatt said: 'Millions of children have been forced into dangerous, overcrowded camps both within and beyond Sudan. These are not safe places for such young lives. 'Children's lives are now characterised by danger and death as hunger and disease spread while the violence rages on. 'They are suffering in silence. We need to draw attention to this crisis and demand rapid action from the UK Government. By talking about Sudan we can save children's lives.' Since the outbreak of the civil war in April 2023, Sudan has topped the International Rescue Committee's (IRC) Emergency Watchlist, which analyses countries that are most likely to experience a new or worsening humanitarian crisis, for a second consecutive year. The IRC has also described it as 'the largest and fastest displacement crisis in the world' and the 'largest humanitarian crisis on record'. England footballer Lucy Bronze, director Sir Steve McQueen and musician Peter Gabriel have also added their names to the open letter alongside TV cook Delia Smith and boxer Ramla Ali. The letter reads: 'Following over two years of violent conflict, Sudan is now the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with half of the country's population – a staggering 24.6 million people – already facing high levels of acute food insecurity. 'Time is quickly running out. Violence, starvation and disease are killing more and more children every day. The UK Government must do all it can to help save lives before it is too late.' Burns, who is known for her hit song Go, added: 'What's happening in Sudan is devastating. 'Children are being torn from their homes, going hungry, and living through horrors no one should ever face. 'We can't turn away or stay quiet. The world needs to act before even more lives are lost.' The letter also urges the Government to increase international pressure and mediation to ensure a ceasefire as well as providing emergency funding and scaling up mutual aid groups. Poulter, who is known for We're The Millers and The Maze Runner, said: 'The stories about the scale of starvation coming out of Sudan are utterly heart-breaking. 'The situation is quickly escalating into one of the worst famines ever recorded. 'With such an extreme shortage of food, immediate action is needed now to save lives and prevent further suffering. We can't let children and their families in Sudan starve to death.' The letter is supported by a coalition of aid organisations, including the chief executives of Cafod, Save the Children UK, Action Against Hunger, Christian Aid, and leading Sudanese campaigners. Mohamed Kamal, country director for Plan International Sudan, said: 'The sheer scale of the suffering being endured by people in Sudan is almost impossible to comprehend. 'Two years of brutal fighting, severe restrictions on the delivery of life-saving aid and a near-total collapse of the food supply across the country has caused a humanitarian catastrophe on a scale the world hasn't witnessed in generations. 'With every day that passes, more and more children face the unacceptable risk of death from extreme hunger, war and disease. Turning our backs on them would be utterly inhumane.' A spokesperson from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: 'As the Foreign Secretary said, Sudan is suffering one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes on record, which is why we convened leaders from around the world in April to strengthen support for the Sudanese people. 'The UK is doing all we can to provide aid, and last month announced £120 million to support over 650,000 Sudanese people in desperate need. 'The number of people who need help will rise if the warring parties continue to show an appalling disregard for human life by blocking aid routes that must be kept open, accessible and safe.'
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Chester Zoo sees return of rare bat-eared foxes after 30 years
A zoo has welcomed two rare bat-eared foxes, 30 years on from when the animal was last two African foxes, which are known for their 13cm (five inches) tall ears, are said to be settling in well at Chester Maasai and Malindi will live alongside 12 porcupines in the zoo's new Heart of Africa habitat and will play a part in the zoo's conservation White, Chester Zoo's team manager, said: "It's incredibly exciting to welcome bat-eared foxes back to Chester Zoo after a 30-year hiatus and they're a wonderful addition to our new Heart of Africa habitat." "They're a truly unique and fascinating species with some amazing adaptations," he said their "enormous ears aren't just for show – they act like satellite dishes and help the foxes detect the tiniest of movements coming from insects beneath the ground, allowing them to detect prey with pinpoint accuracy". Zoo conservationists brought the sisters over to Chester from a zoo in Paris, France, with one of the sisters set to be introduced to a male fox as part of efforts to safeguard the little-known foxes were given their name due to their distinctive oversized ears and they are found in the open savannahs and arid grasslands of eastern and southern Africa. In the wild, bat-eared foxes face increasing threats, largely due to habitat loss caused by agriculture, human encroachment and hunting, a zoo spokesperson said. David White said that like many species found in the African savannah, bat-eared foxes were under threat as their habitat became more fragmented as a result of human activity."That's why our teams are on the ground in several national parks across Kenya and Uganda safeguarding some of the continent's rarest species like northern giraffe, giant pangolins, mountain bongo and Eastern black rhino," he said. "By protecting these species and their habitats we're also helping many of Africa's little known species like bat-eared foxes, that share the same habitats, to go on to thrive once again." Read more stories from Cheshire on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
