What Do Mummies Smell Like? Scientists Unlock 2,000-Year-Old Secrets

Chemical analysis of mummy scents reveals evolving embalming recipes in ancient Egypt. Advanced air sampling detected dozens of compounds, showing increasing sophistication and enabling safer study of fragile remains.

For centuries, mummification has fascinated historians and archaeologists. Now, researchers report that the characteristic musty odor of preserved bodies contains valuable scientific clues. Rather than being simply the result of aging, the smell reflects a blend of embalming substances and treated linens that document how techniques developed over time.

The study was led by chemists at the University of Bristol, who found that the distinctive scent is closely tied to the materials used during embalming.

According to lead author Dr. Wanyue Zhao, Research Associate in Organic Geochemistry at the University of Bristol, “The findings mark a significant step forward in improving our understanding of Egyptian history and the fascinating ritual of mummification. Our analysis of the associated scents has uncovered new insights into how the practice developed through the ages and became increasingly sophisticated.”

Non-Destructive Techniques Capture Volatile Organic Compounds

To carry out the research, the team analyzed the air surrounding tiny mummy fragments about the size of a peppercorn. Conventional approaches often involve dissolving samples with solvents, which can harm fragile artifacts. Instead, the scientists focused on capturing gases released into the surrounding air.

Using solid-phase microextraction together with gas chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry, they collected and separated the airborne chemicals, referred to as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), for detailed examination.

Chemical Signatures of Fats, Resins, Beeswax, and Bitumen

Even when present in trace amounts, these compounds could be grouped into four main categories linked to specific materials. Fats and oils generated aromatic compounds and short-chain fatty acids. Beeswax produced monocarboxylic fatty acids and cinnamic compounds. Plant resins emitted aromatic compounds and sesquiterpenoids, while bitumen released naphthenic compounds.

Dr. Zhao explained that the chemical patterns shifted over time. “Our findings showed the chemical patterns varied across historical periods. Earlier mummies had simpler profiles dominated by fats and oils, while later mummies displayed more complex mixtures incorporating imported resins and bitumen. Such materials were more costly and required more specialized preparation, as the practice became more advanced.”

The analysis also revealed differences depending on which part of the body was sampled.

“For instance, samples from heads often contained different patterns than those from torsos, suggesting embalmers applied distinct recipes to separate parts of the body to possibly aid preservation. This is an area which needs further analysis and research to better understand what techniques were used and why,” Dr. Zhao added.

Advancing Mummification Research and Museum Preservation

Study co-author Richard Evershed, professor of chemistry at the University of Bristol, said, “Our volatile analysis proved sensitive enough to detect residues at extremely low concentrations. For example, bitumen biomarkers were previously difficult to detect with earlier soluble residue methods.

“This approach expands the study of ancient Egyptian funerary practices, presenting a clearer, fuller picture of mummification recipes, material choices, and preservation strategies.”

The technique could also assist museums and collections worldwide. Air sampling offers a fast, nondestructive way to screen fragile mummies, helping curators gather chemical data without compromising their condition.

Study co-author Ian Bull, Professor of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Bristol, added, “Physical sampling still plays a role for detailed work, yet volatile analysis provides an effective and enlightening first step for studying embalmed remains across collections and time periods.”

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Breakthrough Device Could Slash Ethylene’s Massive Carbon Footprint

A new electrolyzer turns waste-derived syngas into ethylene with significantly lower energy input.

Ethylene sits at the center of modern manufacturing. It is used to make plastics and many other everyday materials, but producing it often comes with a major climate penalty. For every ton of ethylene created, one ton of carbon dioxide is produced. With more than 300 million tons of ethylene produced each year, that adds up to an enormous source of emissions that researchers want to shrink and ultimately remove.

In a new study from Northwestern University, Ted Sargent’s team reports an electrolyzer designed to push ethylene production toward a cleaner model by linking waste and renewable electricity.

The device uses electricity to turn syngas into ethylene. Syngas is a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen that can be made by gasifying plastic waste. That starting point matters because it can be easier to upgrade syngas into valuable chemicals than it is to build the same products directly from carbon dioxide. The researchers also introduced a new material that helps the reaction run effectively, and they built the system to cut the overall energy required.

The results, published in Nature Energy, point to a potential route for making ethylene with renewable power, reducing the need for fossil-based inputs along the supply chain.

“Our goal is to decarbonize chemicals,” Sargent said. “And this work is a big step in that direction.”

Sargent is the Lynn Hopton Davis and Greg Davis Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering.

“We want to create a circular system that creates chemical building blocks from waste without using fossil fuels,” said Ke Xie, a research faculty member in chemistry at Weinberg. “And this system is part of that new atom-efficient and energy-efficient supply chain.”

Creating energy from waste

Today, most ethylene is made through steam cracking, a process that uses high-temperature steam to break down crude oil into smaller chemical components. While effective, this method relies heavily on fossil fuels and consumes large amounts of energy.

Scientists have been investigating ways to replace it with electricity-driven processes powered by renewable sources. One possibility is to convert carbon dioxide directly into ethylene. However, that reaction requires significant energy input, making it difficult to compete with existing industrial methods.

Instead, Sargent’s team focused on syngas, which is produced by heating plastic waste in a low-oxygen environment. Syngas contains carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Because it is chemically closer to ethylene than carbon dioxide is, transforming it into ethylene requires less electricity.

“A lot of syngas is made into chemicals, so finding a route to take the syngas to ethylene that’s both very selective and very energy efficient is of industrial interest,” Sargent said.

To make this conversion practical, the researchers needed to design a different kind of electrolyzer, a cell that uses electrical energy to drive chemical reactions. Most electrolyzers rely on liquid water mixed with dissolved salts that supply both positive and negative ions.

The team explored whether they could build a system that operates with gases on both sides of the reaction. In their design, carbon monoxide from syngas would enter on one side (the cathode), while hydrogen would be supplied on the other (the anode).

“In initial attempts, we tried to make a gas-gas electrolyzer, but it just didn’t work,” he said. “And what we realized was that we didn’t just need the water we needed the salt.”

A novel device that works with renewable energy

Salt provides the positive ions (cations) that the device’s copper catalyst needs to stabilize key intermediates in the reaction. Bosi Peng, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab and first author on the paper, searched for the right material that could trap those ions while also keeping them loose enough to react within the system.

“We needed to find a material in this Goldilocks zone to make a successful electrolyzer,” Sargent said. “And Bosi found a new way to solve this hard problem, which was really exciting.”

The material, sodium polyacrylate (PANa), creates a micro-environment within the system that mimics a liquid salt bath, while keeping the system dry of liquid water. The result is a process that is more than 60% more efficient than the most energy-efficient prior electrified processes that turn carbon dioxide into ethylene.

“Bosi significantly reduced the electricity needed by lowering the voltage we have to apply across the device,” Sargent said. Even further, the device works well with the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources.

“Solar and wind are very cheap sources of energy, but they come and go,” he said. “We needed to create a device that could deal with intermittent energy, and we found this system could do that. A key ingredient in doing so was to take out the liquid water with the high concentration salt in the electrolyte.”

Next, the team plans to try to reduce the energy consumption of the device even further, so it’s on par with energy used in steam cracking. They are also using artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to find catalysts that would make the device even more efficient.

Ultimately, the goal is to create a device that can scale up to be used in industry to continue to reduce ethylene’s carbon footprint.

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Quantum Chemistry Meets Pyrazole: A New Era in Energetic Materials! #worldresearchawards #chemistry

 

This research integrates quantum-chemistry calculations with Bayesian optimization to accelerate discovery of novel pyrazole-based energetic materials. By predicting performance, stability, and sensitivity, the data-driven framework efficiently guides molecular design, reducing experimental workload while enhancing safety and energetic efficiency.

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This Blue-Light Iron Breakthrough Could Make Drug Production Cheaper

A blue-light-powered iron catalyst just replaced rare metals and unlocked a milestone in precision drug synthesis.

Photocatalysts are materials that trigger chemical reactions when exposed to light. In modern organic chemistry, metal-based photocatalysts are especially valuable because they are stable and can be fine-tuned by adjusting the ligands attached to the central metal atom. These ligands influence how the catalyst behaves and what kinds of molecules it can help build.

Common photocatalyst metals such as ruthenium and iridium work well but are rare and costly. To address this, researchers at Nagoya University in Japan previously introduced an iron-based alternative. However, that earlier system depended on large quantities of expensive chiral ligands, which act as structural guides that determine the three-dimensional shape of the final chemical product.

In a new study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the team reports a redesigned iron catalyst that cuts chiral ligand use by two-thirds. The catalyst also operates under energy-efficient blue LED light, making the process more practical and potentially more sustainable.

Using this improved system, the scientists completed the asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-heitziamide A. This natural compound, found in medicinal plants, is known to suppress respiratory bursts. The work was carried out by Professor Kazuaki Ishihara, Assistant Professor Shuhei Ohmura, and graduate student Hayato Akao at Nagoya University’s Graduate School of Engineering.

Iron Photocatalyst Design Improves Efficiency

In their 2023 work, the group developed an iron photocatalyst that incorporated three chiral ligands per iron atom. Yet only one of those ligands actually influenced enantioselectivity, meaning much of the material was not contributing to the desired three-dimensional control. That made the system less efficient than it could be.

The newly engineered catalyst takes a different approach. It pairs an inexpensive achiral bidentate ligand with a chiral ligand to form a specific iron(III) salt structure. The chiral ligand directs the three-dimensional arrangement of the product, while the achiral bidentate ligand adjusts and enhances the catalyst’s overall activity.

With this design, the team achieved a highly controlled radical cation (4 + 2) cyclization. In this reaction, two molecular components join to create a six-membered ring. The method allows chemists to construct 1,2,3,5-substituted adducts, structural patterns frequently seen in natural products such as heitziamide A.

“The new catalyst design represents the definitive form of chiral iron(III) photoredox catalysts,” stated Ohmura, one of the study’s corresponding authors. “We believe this achievement marks a significant milestone in advancing iron-based photocatalysis.”

First Asymmetric Synthesis of (+)-Heitziamide A

Although scientists have previously reported laboratory synthesis of heitziamide A, they had not achieved the total asymmetric synthesis of its naturally occurring enantiomer.

By using blue light to activate the iron photocatalyst and carefully controlling six membered ring formation, the researchers successfully completed the first total asymmetric synthesis of (+)-heitziamide A. The results suggest that employing the mirror image version of the catalyst could also produce (-)-heitziamide A, making it possible to selectively generate either enantiomer.

Implications for Drug Synthesis and Green Chemistry

This new iron photocatalyst provides a way to build complex molecules, including pharmaceutical precursors, using abundant iron and low energy blue LEDs instead of scarce rare metals.

“Achieving the first-ever asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-heitziamide A using this catalytic reaction is a remarkable accomplishment,” stated Ishihara, the study’s other corresponding author. “Several additional bioactive substances can be accessed through total synthesis, with enantioselective radical cation (4 + 2) cycloaddition serving as a key step. We intend to publish follow-up papers on the asymmetric total synthesis of these compounds in the near future.”

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A Flash of Light Can Build and Erase Crystals Instantly

Scientists at NYU have discovered a way to use light as a kind of remote control for building and reshaping crystals.

Researchers at NYU have developed a way to use light to precisely direct how microscopic particles assemble into crystals. The findings describe a straightforward and reversible approach to crystal formation that could help create a new class of adaptable, light-responsive materials.

Crystals, from snowflakes and diamonds to the silicon chips inside electronic devices, consist of particles arranged in highly ordered, repeating structures. To better understand how these patterns emerge, scientists often study colloidal particles, which are tiny spheres suspended in liquid that can spontaneously organize into what are known as colloidal crystals. These particles are also essential components in advanced materials used in optical and photonic technologies such as sensors and lasers.

Even though crystals are common and widely used, controlling exactly when and where they form has been a persistent challenge.

“The challenge in the field has been control: crystals usually form where and when they want, and once conditions are set, you have limited ability to adjust the process in real time,” said study author Stefano Sacanna, professor of chemistry at NYU.

Using Light as a Microscale Remote Control

“Essentially, we used light as a remote control to program how matter organizes itself at the microscale,” said Sacanna.

Through a combination of laboratory experiments and computer simulations, the team demonstrated that adjusting the intensity, timing, and pattern of light allows them to control crystal behavior with remarkable precision. They can trigger crystals to appear or dissolve on demand, choose where crystallization occurs, reshape and “sculpt” crystal structures, and improve their uniformity and size to build larger and more intricate colloidal assemblies.

“Using our photoacid gave us a surprising level of control over the attraction between particles. Just turning the light up or down a little made the difference between the particle fully sticking or being fully free,” said study author Steven van Kesteren of ETH Zürich, who conducted this work at NYU as a postdoctoral researcher in Sacanna’s lab.

“Because light is so easy to control, we could make our system do quite complex things. We could shoot light at particle blobs and see them melt under the microscope, or shine a light so that random blobs of particles ordered themselves into crystals. We could also remove specific crystals quite easily by simply unsticking the particles at that spot,” added van Kesteren.

One Pot Experiment With Reversible Control

A key advantage of the approach is its simplicity. The researchers were able to manage the entire process in a “one pot” setup, without repeatedly redesigning particles or adjusting salt concentrations in the solution. By changing the level of illumination, they could prompt the particles to assemble into crystals or fall apart again.

Toward Light Programmable Materials

This technique could pave the way for materials whose structure, and therefore their properties, can be adjusted using light. For example, photonic materials could have their color or optical response written, erased, and rewritten as needed. Light programmable colloidal crystals may one day enable reconfigurable optical coatings, adaptive sensors, and next-generation display or data storage technologies, where patterns and functions are defined dynamically by illumination rather than fixed during manufacturing.

“Our approach brings us closer to dynamic, programmable colloidal materials that can be reconfigured on demand,” said study author Glen Hocky, associate professor of chemistry and a faculty member at the Simons Center for Computational Physical Chemistry at NYU. “This system also allows us to test a number of predictions on how self-assembly should behave when interactions between particles or molecules are changing across space or time.”

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Soil Microbiome Magic: Fast & Functional ! #worldresearchawards #Analyticalchemistry #researchawards

 

This study explores the rapid assembly and functional differentiation of soil surface microbiomes in temperate agricultural soils, revealing how environmental factors, crop management, and nutrient inputs shape microbial succession, metabolic functions, and ecosystem services critical for soil fertility and sustainable farming.

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Piezocatalysis: Powering Green Solutions #worldresearchawards #Analyticalchemistry #researchawards

 

This study reviews piezocatalysis and piezo-assisted catalysis for environmental remediation and energy conversion, highlighting how mechanical energy induces charge separation in piezoelectric materials to drive pollutant degradation, hydrogen evolution, and sustainable catalytic transformations under ambient conditions.

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