Latest news with #Bashiri
Courier-Mail
28-07-2025
- Science
- Courier-Mail
New technology uncovers hidden details of Egypt's 2,300-year-old 'untouchable' mummy
Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News. Modern technology has helped shed further light on an Ancient Egyptian mystery after spending millennia under wraps. The Bashiri Mummy, also known as the 'untouchable one', has long remained unravelled – as researchers have feared causing damage to the intricately wrapped fabric. Researchers are now closer to understanding the mysteries of the Bashiri. Photo: Egypt Museum It is believed by some sources that Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered this mummy in the Valley of the Kings, The Sun reports. This is the same area he would famously go on to uncover King Tutankhamun's tomb. But according to Discover magazine, the most that is known for sure is that the 'untouchable one' was found, but that no researchers have dared attempt to unfurl its cloth. Prior to the invention of X-ray and CT scanners, people would unwrap these ancient mummies to study them – causing severe damage. X SUBSCRIBER ONLY New technology has lessened the need for such methods of study, allowing researchers to learn more about ancient artefacts while inflicting less harm on them. It brings them one step closer to understanding the mysteries of the Bashiri Mummy. The untouchable one's face wrappings are said to be unique, featuring a pattern resembling the base of a pyramid. According to the American Museum of Natural History, 'In the past, the only way to learn about a mummy was to unwrap it. 'But this widespread practice destroyed the mummy, often detaching body parts." Scans have now revealed fresh details about the mummy. Researchers have established that the Bashiri Mummy would have been an adult man who stood about 5.5 feet (1.7 metres) tall. Researchers have feared causing damage to the intricately wrapped fabric of the Bashiri Mummy. Photo: Vania Teofilo/Wikipedia He would have lived in the Ptolemaic Era – which spanned from 305BC to 30BC. This makes the mummy around a staggering 2,300 years old. The X-ray scan also showed an inscription of the man's name, according to the Egypt Museum. However, it is not fully clear if Pacheri or Nenu are written, leaving some mysteries around the mummy still unresolved. They've established that the Bashiri Mummy would have been an adult man who stood about 5.5 feet (1.7 metres) tall. Photo: Egypt Museum The museum added that the mummy's encasement was decorated with 'various scenes arranged in registers, notably the mummy lying on a bed, surrounded by the goddesses Isis and Nephtys, and the four sons of Horus.' 'Finally, the casing around the feet has two images of the funerary god Anubis,' it adds. It is not the only incredible discovery of the Ancient World unveiled in recent weeks. A network of dimly lit tunnels under Rome's Capitoline Hill could soon become the city's latest tourist hot spot. The secret underground city covers some 42,000 square feet (3,902 square metres) under the Ancient Roman Forum – and reaches depths of 985 feet (300 metres) below the surface. It is expected to be open for visitors from late 2026 or early 2027, CNN has reported. This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission Originally published as New technology uncovers hidden details of Egypt's 2,300-year-old 'untouchable' mummy
Scoop
26-06-2025
- Health
- Scoop
University Of Auckland's Key Role In Global Fight To Tackle TB
Press Release – University of Auckland A tuberculosis (TB) drug discovery project led by academics from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland is the first from the University to be selected for a prestigious Japanese public-private partnership (PPP) investment to fight infectious diseases, such as malaria, TB, and neglected tropical diseases. The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund recently announced its latest JPY 1.4 billion (USD 10.1 million) investment focused on five R&D projects for the development of diagnostics, vaccines, and drugs for TB and malaria. TB remains one of the world's most devastating infectious diseases, affecting over 10 million people and causing more than 1.2 million deaths annually. In poorer countries, over 3 million people go undiagnosed each year due to the lack of suitable, accessible diagnostic tools—particularly at the point of first contact with the healthcare system. TB continues to occur in New Zealand with approximately 300 cases diagnosed each year. Of the five projects, Harnessing genome mining for novel tuberculosis antibiotics will be led by Associate Professor Ghader Bashiri, from the School of Biological Sciences in the University's Faculty of Science. Associate Professor Bashiri and his team, alongside Professor Ikuro Abe at the University of Tokyo and Dr Matthew McNeil from the University of Otago, aim to research new drugs to tackle TB by identifying cryptic secondary metabolites that specifically target essential metabolic pathways in the bacterium that causes TB. Secondary metabolites are small molecules that confer a survival advantage to the producing organisms and often exhibit diverse biological properties, such as antimicrobial activity. Associate Professor Bashiri says he is looking forward to the project over the next two years. 'It is an honour and privilege to be part of this project. TB remains the world's leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. Early identification and testing of specific secondary metabolites against our targets using human infection models will provide critical insights into their efficacy and potential as new treatments for TB.' 'While this project focuses on the development of new TB treatments, it has potential spillover effects on malaria, offering new opportunities for developing effective treatments against some of the world's deadliest diseases.' Despite significant advances, developing new antibiotics for TB remains a major challenge as drugs often have limited effect against the infection and serious side effects. Development of drug resistance is a major issue. To overcome this, the project team will (a) identify secondary metabolites that specifically target key metabolic pathways in TB, and (b) test these metabolites against target proteins, bacterial cultures, and infections models to assess their effects on bacterial growth and pathogenesis. This approach offers a unique target for developing safe treatments with new mechanisms of action against TB, with the promise of identifying new generations of antibiotics against TB that can overcome the limitations of existing treatments, such as resistance, side effects, and challenges maintaining patient engagement with treatment. The project team already has established expertise and drug development experience for TB, which will be instrumental in advancing subsequent research and development phases. Long-term, the goal is to create safer and more effective treatment options for TB patients worldwide. The GHIT fund was identified as a pathway to funding for our TB drug pipeline by the UniServices Strategic Growth team who, with the assistance of NZTE Japan, built a relationship with the funder over the past couple of years. This helped to understand GHIT's funding priorities and help the researchers to align their project for a successful application.
Scoop
26-06-2025
- Health
- Scoop
University Of Auckland's Key Role In Global Fight To Tackle TB
Press Release – University of Auckland The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund recently announced its latest JPY 1.4 billion (USD 10.1 million) investment focused on five R&D projects for the development of diagnostics, vaccines, and drugs for TB and malaria. A tuberculosis (TB) drug discovery project led by academics from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland is the first from the University to be selected for a prestigious Japanese public-private partnership (PPP) investment to fight infectious diseases, such as malaria, TB, and neglected tropical diseases. The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund recently announced its latest JPY 1.4 billion (USD 10.1 million) investment focused on five R&D projects for the development of diagnostics, vaccines, and drugs for TB and malaria. TB remains one of the world's most devastating infectious diseases, affecting over 10 million people and causing more than 1.2 million deaths annually. In poorer countries, over 3 million people go undiagnosed each year due to the lack of suitable, accessible diagnostic tools—particularly at the point of first contact with the healthcare system. TB continues to occur in New Zealand with approximately 300 cases diagnosed each year. Of the five projects, Harnessing genome mining for novel tuberculosis antibiotics will be led by Associate Professor Ghader Bashiri, from the School of Biological Sciences in the University's Faculty of Science. Associate Professor Bashiri and his team, alongside Professor Ikuro Abe at the University of Tokyo and Dr Matthew McNeil from the University of Otago, aim to research new drugs to tackle TB by identifying cryptic secondary metabolites that specifically target essential metabolic pathways in the bacterium that causes TB. Secondary metabolites are small molecules that confer a survival advantage to the producing organisms and often exhibit diverse biological properties, such as antimicrobial activity. Associate Professor Bashiri says he is looking forward to the project over the next two years. 'It is an honour and privilege to be part of this project. TB remains the world's leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. Early identification and testing of specific secondary metabolites against our targets using human infection models will provide critical insights into their efficacy and potential as new treatments for TB.' 'While this project focuses on the development of new TB treatments, it has potential spillover effects on malaria, offering new opportunities for developing effective treatments against some of the world's deadliest diseases.' Despite significant advances, developing new antibiotics for TB remains a major challenge as drugs often have limited effect against the infection and serious side effects. Development of drug resistance is a major issue. To overcome this, the project team will (a) identify secondary metabolites that specifically target key metabolic pathways in TB, and (b) test these metabolites against target proteins, bacterial cultures, and infections models to assess their effects on bacterial growth and pathogenesis. This approach offers a unique target for developing safe treatments with new mechanisms of action against TB, with the promise of identifying new generations of antibiotics against TB that can overcome the limitations of existing treatments, such as resistance, side effects, and challenges maintaining patient engagement with treatment. The project team already has established expertise and drug development experience for TB, which will be instrumental in advancing subsequent research and development phases. Long-term, the goal is to create safer and more effective treatment options for TB patients worldwide. The GHIT fund was identified as a pathway to funding for our TB drug pipeline by the UniServices Strategic Growth team who, with the assistance of NZTE Japan, built a relationship with the funder over the past couple of years. This helped to understand GHIT's funding priorities and help the researchers to align their project for a successful application.
Scoop
26-06-2025
- Health
- Scoop
University Of Auckland's Key Role In Global Fight To Tackle TB
A tuberculosis (TB) drug discovery project led by academics from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland is the first from the University to be selected for a prestigious Japanese public-private partnership (PPP) investment to fight infectious diseases, such as malaria, TB, and neglected tropical diseases. The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund recently announced its latest JPY 1.4 billion (USD 10.1 million) investment focused on five R&D projects for the development of diagnostics, vaccines, and drugs for TB and malaria. TB remains one of the world's most devastating infectious diseases, affecting over 10 million people and causing more than 1.2 million deaths annually. In poorer countries, over 3 million people go undiagnosed each year due to the lack of suitable, accessible diagnostic tools—particularly at the point of first contact with the healthcare system. TB continues to occur in New Zealand with approximately 300 cases diagnosed each year. Of the five projects, Harnessing genome mining for novel tuberculosis antibiotics will be led by Associate Professor Ghader Bashiri, from the School of Biological Sciences in the University's Faculty of Science. Associate Professor Bashiri and his team, alongside Professor Ikuro Abe at the University of Tokyo and Dr Matthew McNeil from the University of Otago, aim to research new drugs to tackle TB by identifying cryptic secondary metabolites that specifically target essential metabolic pathways in the bacterium that causes TB. Secondary metabolites are small molecules that confer a survival advantage to the producing organisms and often exhibit diverse biological properties, such as antimicrobial activity. Associate Professor Bashiri says he is looking forward to the project over the next two years. 'It is an honour and privilege to be part of this project. TB remains the world's leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. Early identification and testing of specific secondary metabolites against our targets using human infection models will provide critical insights into their efficacy and potential as new treatments for TB.' 'While this project focuses on the development of new TB treatments, it has potential spillover effects on malaria, offering new opportunities for developing effective treatments against some of the world's deadliest diseases.' Despite significant advances, developing new antibiotics for TB remains a major challenge as drugs often have limited effect against the infection and serious side effects. Development of drug resistance is a major issue. To overcome this, the project team will (a) identify secondary metabolites that specifically target key metabolic pathways in TB, and (b) test these metabolites against target proteins, bacterial cultures, and infections models to assess their effects on bacterial growth and pathogenesis. This approach offers a unique target for developing safe treatments with new mechanisms of action against TB, with the promise of identifying new generations of antibiotics against TB that can overcome the limitations of existing treatments, such as resistance, side effects, and challenges maintaining patient engagement with treatment. The project team already has established expertise and drug development experience for TB, which will be instrumental in advancing subsequent research and development phases. Long-term, the goal is to create safer and more effective treatment options for TB patients worldwide. The GHIT fund was identified as a pathway to funding for our TB drug pipeline by the UniServices Strategic Growth team who, with the assistance of NZTE Japan, built a relationship with the funder over the past couple of years. This helped to understand GHIT's funding priorities and help the researchers to align their project for a successful application.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Archaeologists stunned by one of Britain's biggest Iron Age hoards which could rewrite history
It began, as many great discoveries do, with a metal detectorist and a lucky beep. In December 2021, Peter Heads stumbled upon what would turn out to be one of the largest and most significant Iron Age finds ever made in Britain: the Melsonby Hoard. Now, after meticulous excavation and research, archaeologists have unveiled a collection of more than 800 objects found by Heads near the village of Melsonby in North Yorkshire, England. The exact location is being kept secret. "Quite simply, this is one of the most important and exciting Iron Age period discoveries made in the UK. It sheds new light on Iron Age life in the north and Britain, but it also demonstrates connections with Europe," says Duncan Wilson, the Chief Executive of Historic England. Related Archaeologists discover oldest section of China's Great Wall, dating back nearly 3,000 years The Bashiri mystery: A 2,300-year-old Egyptian mummy that no archaeologist dares to open Described by experts as an 'archaeological time capsule,' the hoard is thought to have been buried in the first century AD, coinciding with the Roman conquest of southern Britain. Among the finds are the partial remains of at least seven four-wheeled wagons and two-wheeled chariots, an unusual discovery for Iron Age Britain. The harnesses, some complete with Mediterranean coral and coloured glass, suggest an elite class whose wealth and status were communicated through opulent transport and elaborate rituals. According to Dr Sophia Adams, a curator at the British Museum: 'This is the largest single deposit of horse harness and vehicle parts excavated in Britain. It is significant not just for the quantity of objects buried together 2,000 years ago but also the quality and range of items." Also discovered in the find were three ceremonial spears, carefully wrapped together in a bundle, as well as 28 iron tyres and two ornate cauldrons or vessels. One of these, a lidded vessel, was likely used as a wine-mixing bowl and had been deliberately buried at the bottom of a large ditch. Other items include cast copper alloy bridle bits, linchpins and rein rings. But it's not just the number of objects that has amazed researchers - it is their condition. Many were deliberately broken or burned before burial, a ritual that raises intriguing questions about Iron Age society. Was this an ostentatious display of power? A funerary rite? Or an offering to the gods? The find has also reignited debate over Britain's connections to continental Europe before the Roman conquest. While some objects match those previously unearthed in Britain, others have clear European parallels, hinting at extensive trade networks and shared technologies. Valued at £254,000 (€304,000), the Melsonby Hoard is the focus of a new fundraising campaign by the Yorkshire Museum in York, aiming to make it available for public viewing.
