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Scientists tried to recreate a mummy's voice with an electronic larynx
Researchers recently resurrected the "voice" of an ancient priest for the first time since his death over 3,000 years ago. Called Nesyamun, he lived during the time of the pharaoh Rameses XI, who ruled from 1107 to 1078 BC. The team used a combination of scanners, 3D printing and synthesized sound to create the vocal simulation.
Scanning technique reads hidden writing in mummy boxes
Historians can use scanning to peek inside mummies without risking damage, but that hasn't been true for the papyrus boxes those mummies were placed in before entering the tomb. If you've wanted to read the discarded everyday writing on that papyrus, you've typically had to destroy the boxes. That won't be necessary from now on, though: researchers at University College London have developed a scanning technique that lets you read a mummy case's writing while leaving it intact.
ICYMI: CT scanning mummies and drones that land like birds
Today on In Case You Missed It: Researchers from The Field Museum are using CT scanners to look inside mummies from Peru and Egypt to see what lies behind the casket and ancient gauze. The images have uncovered information about the gender and approximate age the of deceased when they took their last breath. It also gives museum-goers the opportunity to peel away the layers of a mummy and check out 3D models of what the dead might have looked like before they met their untimely end.
Museums use CT scans to take the mystery out of mummies
Most of us have a rather cinematic view of mummies: a bandaged body rising out of a sarcophagus, stumbling toward whoever just disturbed their slumber. Of course, this could never happen and not just for supernatural reasons. Mummies are wrapped up pretty tight and are just too old and fragile to do anything. In fact, they're often too delicate for scientists to even study them, meaning many human remains have sat in storage for more than a century. However, an exhibit making its way to New York's American History of Natural History today not only takes them out of the warehouse, but also tells us more about the people wrapped inside, thanks to some help from modern technology.
Museum teams up with Samsung to render mummies in 3D (video)
Thanks to more advanced medical CT scanners, we can now look at what's inside the British Museum's mummies... even if they remain wrapped. The museum has partnered with Samsung to provide 3D visuals for eight mummies of people who lived in the Nile Valley as far back as 4,000 years ago created using high-res CT scans. These visuals (some of them even interactive) show you what lies underneath all those mummified layers, from accessories and hairstyles that indicate their status in life, to the state of their health when they passed away. For instance, you'll see that a man of high status was buried with gold leaves and facial features painted on his wrappings, while a lowly temple doorkeeper had his severed head roughly reattached with wooden poles. The exhibit's already live for anyone interested in (digitally) peeling layers off the ancient remains, and it'll be around until November 30th this year.
Inferno Legend begins closed beta on December 10th
Chinese developer Gamebox announced that its upcoming "reverse Diablo" MMO Inferno Legend will be going into closed beta testing on December 10th. The company said that it was inspired by the movie Avatar in the creation of Inferno Legend's air island world. Players will explore these islands brick by hexagonal brick, finding out what's on each when they step on them. The unpredictability that each brick brings, from a battle event to a treasure boon, is what Gearbox hopes will intrigue players. Inferno Legend has five classes: Vampire, Cyclops, Ghost Knight, Fairy, and Mummy. Battles take their visual cues from the comic books, and there's a demon summoning system that gives alternate skills and buffs for players foolish enough to toy with the underworld. You can check out the preview video of Inferno Legend after the break. [Source: Gamebox press release]
Alt-week 9.15.12: The ultimate wind machine, Egyptian Lego and the office of our dreams
Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days. Sometimes we wonder, what would we have ended up doing if we didn't spend our time trawling the web for the week's best alternative tech stories? We could have been paleontologists, novelists, engineers, or if we were really lucky, worked for Google. Instead, here we are bringing you some of the more colorful tech-tales from the last seven days, which we're really not complaining about. That said though, at least on this occasion, we got to taste a bit of all the above. This is alt-week.
First signs of Google's new 'semantic search' spotted, put to good use
So, Google wasn't merry-dancing when it promised to update its search engine with new "semantic" algorithms. One of our readers sent in the screen grab above, which shows what happens when they search for "Howard Carter." In addition to all the regular links, there's a box on the right that seems to be distinctly aware of who that poor fellow was (er, happy birthday old bean). We haven't been able to replicate these results, which probably means it's a limited roll-out at this time. Nevertheless, if we're right, then this archaeologist's name will have wormed its way through Mountain View's constantly updated knowledge database, which we're told can link facts together rather than just match keywords. Carter's cause of death? Hmm, clearly the system still as a few things to learn about mummies and curses. [Thanks, Joseph]
Bigpoint hypes Mummy Online's closed beta
We're not exactly sure how many of you were clamoring for a game based on the Mummy film franchise, but thanks to browser MMO specialist Bigpoint, we're about to find out. The company is now accepting closed beta registrations for The Mummy Online, and prospective players can look forward to a two-faction affair (Raiders or Cultists) and class-based progression with the usual focus on PvE, gear, and special abilities. PvP-specific areas are also included, and Bigpoint's press release says that players will battle across cinematic environments "based on the existing terrain of Egypt." Head to the official site to sign up for beta and learn more about the game. [Source Bigpoint press release]
The Mummy Online's beta is under wraps
Seeing as how Halloween is right around the corner, it seems like a perfect time to tap into your inner monster and unleash the spooky spirit of the holiday. And what better way to do so than to wrap yourself in gauze, drain your bodily fluids, be buried alive, and brew a vengeful spirit over the next two thousand years? Or, you know, you could just play The Mummy Online, which has recently gone into closed beta. Bigpoint's online version of Universal Studios' classic horror franchise looks to retain the best of the recent films as it mashes scares and high adventure thrills together. The game is free-to-play in your browser, and is presented in a top-down, isometric format. Applications for the closed beta are currently being accepted. You can get a closer look at The Mummy Online in the gallery below, but beware! Opening this gallery will unleash an ancient curse upon your spleen! %Gallery-137305%
Bigpoint unleashes new Mummy Online site and trailer
It's been almost a year since Bigpoint announced The Mummy Online, and we were starting to suspect that the project had been sealed back up in a tomb... forever. We even listed it as one of our top MMOs that went MIA in 2010. But it turns out that Bigpoint was just running quiet as it whipped up a whole new site and trailer for us to enjoy. The Mummy Online is a continuation of the hit film series, which seeks to meld high adventure with historical horror. Bigpoint's Arash Amini feels that there's a lot of material for the team to mine: "Working with such a rich franchise not only enables us to leverage an incredible story; it also lends itself to further exploration and development perfectly suited for an online game that can evolve over time." This free-to-play browser title is set at the southern tip of the Nile, where tombs, burial grounds, oases, and ruins wait for the intrepid grave robber. It looks to have fast-paced action (with guns!) in a 3-D isometric viewpoint. Bigpoint's hoping to get The Mummy Online to release by this fall, but in the meantime you can check out the lore and screenshots on the official site as well as the teaser trailer below.
Stake or be staked: Van Helsing MMO to take the fight to classic movie monsters
It's the perfect time of year to announce a horror-themed MMO, so we're not surprised that at least one studio has stepped up to do so. SEE Virtual Worlds, the same company that's working on Planet Michael (which may or may not still have you giggling sporadically), is turning the world of Van Helsing into a MMO with the blessing of Universal Studios. With eight decades of movie monsters under its belt, Universal Studios is not lacking for iconic ghoulies and gremlins: The Wolf Man, Frankenstein, the Invisible Man, the Mummy, Dracula and the Creature from the Black Lagoon have frightened generations of children and lingered in the imaginations of millions more. In the game, players will step into the role of a Van Helsing-type figure who's tasked with taking down the hairiest, slimiest and most bitey of them all. Both Planet Michael and the Universal Monsters MMO will exist within Entropia Universe's domain, which houses virtual worlds and utilizes a real-world cash exchange economy. You can read the full Hollywood Reporter article here.
Blu-ray releases on December 16th 2008
With about a week to go until Christmas and a week after The Dark Knight, it's no wonder this week's lineup is way less than exceptional. So because there really isn't anything to get too excited about we're going to prop up a title that we'd bet will be a classic one day, Old School. If you haven't seen this one and you enjoy a good laugh, what are you waiting for? If you have, and can't wait to enjoy it all over again for the first time in HD, then say it with us, "You're my boy blue!" Also this week, Criterion's long awaited titles finally hit the street along with plenty of catalog titles form Paramount and Universal. Universal has what is arguably the biggest day-and-date title with The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, but it's IMDB score of 5.2 has us unimpressed. Next week slate isn't much better, but it does have one we're looking for with Burn After Reading. Bottle Rocket (Criterion) The Cheetah Girls: One World (Disney) Chungking Express (Criterion) Coach Carter (Paramount) Death Proof (Weinstein) The Heartbreak Kid (Paramount) Hot Rod (Paramount) In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (Fox) Into the Wild (Paramount) Mamma Mia! (Universal) The Man Who Fell to Earth (Criterion) The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Universal) Old School (Paramount) Planet Terror (Weinstein) The Third Man (Criterion)
Universal fesses up to The Mummy Trilogy on Blu-ray
Just making The Mummy Returns its very first Blu-ray release wasn't good enough for Universal -- oh no, it's releasing the entire triology on BD this winter. For those that held off on picking up the aforesaid title, you can opt for the 4-disc box set that will package all three Mummy films on BD and be released on the same day as The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (in solo form). Each film will be presented in widescreen 1080p with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track; currently, the MSRP for the collection is set at $94.98, though it'll be offered for much less on the streets come December 16th.
Blu-ray releases on July 22nd, 2008
This week is finally the week, it's finally the week when Universal Studios releases its first Blu-ray Disc, and by the looks of the reviews, the big U is getting started with a bang. The biggest two titles from the new Blu studio are the first two installments of the Mummy franchise, released in preparation for the third movie due in theaters next week. We've seen over and over again this summer, that there is no better time to release a catalog title then just before the sequel is released on the big screen. But even if you aren't the biggest Brendan Fraser fan, you may want to check this out as the reviews seem to indicate that Universal didn't slouch on its first Blu-ray titles. The specs are a good start with BD-50, VC1, and the best in audio at DTS-HD MA 48kHz/24bit; but Hi-Def Digest review sums up the picture quality with "It's as close to a reference-caliber disc as any catalog title I've seen," while the audio was "absolutely excellent -- this is a demo-worthy presentation." But even if Mummy movies are your thing, you can check out Sony's date-and-date 21, or maybe a few older horror titles like Urban Legend or I know What You Did Last Summer. As big as this week is though, next is even bigger as just about every studio has something on the calendar with a total of 24 new releases in one week. Blu-ray 669Blu-ray 21 (Sony) The BBC High-Definition Natural History Collection (BBC) Daft Punk's Electroma (Vice Records) Earth: The Biography (BBC) The Exorcism of Emily Rose (Sony) I Know What You Did Last Summer (Sony) Kiss of the Spider Woman (City Lights) The Mummy Returns (Universal) The Mummy (1999) (Universal) The Perfect Storm (Warner) The Scorpion King (Universal) Urban Legend (Sony)
Wii releases this week: SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 edition
Remember how we told you to stay away from all of those NEO-GEO games that released on the Virtual Console these past weeks? Well, this is why: SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1. Within this disc, you'll find plenty of old-school SNK titles, which, when compared with their Virtual Console counterparts, fetch a much cheaper price of admission.This week's retail releases include: Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor SNK Arcade Classics Vol.1 Order Up Chess Crusade So, who's picking up what?%Gallery-21449%
Universal's first Blu-ray Disc cover revealed
It won't be long now, folks. July 22nd is just around the corner, and now, you won't even have to wonder what The Mummy Returns cover art will look like. This first shot of the box sees Universal's logo shrunk down and slapped on the spine, while "The Perfect Hi-Def Movie Experience" will presumably be pasted on every single BD release from the studio. Riveting, no?
Taki's back in Soul Calibur Legends
We knew that in addition to Siegfried and Ivy, Soul Calibur Legends would feature other playable characters from the series. Everyone's favorite underdressed ninja, Taki, is joining the roster, to help the other two battle wave after wave of wimpy-looking mummies and three-foot-tall ninjas. Astaroth is also visible, though it's not clear if he's a player character or an enemy.Of course, now that we think about it, putting a female assassin in the game hews even closer to Death By Degrees territory. Well, Soul Calibur was always better than Tekken, so maybe the spinoff action games will follow the same pattern!
One big headed Marcus Fenix figure
Mix together one part mini-fig, add two parts talent, three parts Gears and you get one badass mini-fig. The talented Emilio Lopez created a custom Marcus Fenix Munny figure for his cousin who loves Gears of War. He not only painted the little Marcus figure, but customized the box and added additional sculpting clay to make it perfect. The quality is beyond belief and for some reason we just love the big head look. Maybe we can persuade Emilio into creating a custom Munny for us, you know, to protect Fanboy Towers and stuff. More amazing pictures after the jump.[Via Digg]
