Newswise — Human remains yield secrets. And some of those secrets unearthed by Dr. Heather Gill-Robinson of North Dakota State University are part of "Mystery of the Mummy Murders" on the television program Explorer scheduled to air on the National Geographic Channel in the U.S. on Wed., June 4, at 8 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. CT. Gill-Robinson, assistant professor of anthropology at North Dakota State University, Fargo, specializes in research on 2000-year-old peat bog mummies in Europe, preserved from the Iron Age with amazing detail.
Gill-Robinson previously made a significant discovery regarding a bog body once known as Windeby Girl, found in Germany. After further research using tools such as 3-D imaging and trace element analysis, Gill-Robinson discovered that Windeby Girl was most likely a young man.
Gill-Robinson shared many of her research findings with the crew filming the Wednesday episode of Explorer.Additional information and a video clip of "Mystery of the Mummy Murders" is found at:http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/explorer/3110/Overview#tab-Vid
Additional photos are found at:http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/explorer/3110/Overview#tab-Photos/6
The NDSU professor's research has also appeared in "From the Depths of the Bog" in the May 2008 issue of National Geographic World magazine, German edition. In the science magazine for children, Dr. Gill-Robinson shares age-appropriate insights about her research involving bog bodies in Germany.
The National Geographic World article notes that bog bodies provide historical clues to how people lived. "I like puzzles and the bog bodies are puzzles from the past," says Gill-Robinson in the article. Photos of numerous anthropological findings and information on how bogs form are included in the magazine. "I think it's another way to help inspire scientific curiosity in young people who may have an interest in physical anthropology," says Gill-Robinson, who frequently speaks to community groups about her research findings.
Gill-Robinson also presented at the 77th annual meeting of the Paleopathology Association (PPA) and at the American Association of Physical Anthropology (AAPA) in Columbus, Ohio, earlier this year. Her presentation on the Evidence-Based Approach in Mummy Studies was co-authored with Frank Rühli of the University of Zurich. Gill-Robinson and NDSU student James Schanandore, a McNair scholar, delivered a poster presentation on the curvature of the spine in an Iron Age bog body and a podium presentation relating to age estimation in an Iron Age bog body. The image analysis was completed in the NDSU Biological Anthropology Research Laboratory (BARL).
The water and other substances in peat bogs create a natural preservative for the bodies found in them, though Dr. Gill-Robinson says researchers are still trying to determine why. The lack of oxygen, antimicrobial action and the sphagnum found in bogs seem to conspire to preserve the bodies tossed into them thousands of years ago.
Gill-Robinson's areas of research interest have focused on a collection of several bodies (six mummies and one skeleton) from peat bogs in northern Germany. Her research was previously cited in the article, "Rehabilitation of a Moorland Corpse," in Abenteuer Archaeologie, a German popular press archaeology magazine, and in the article "Tales from the Bog" in the September 2007 issue of National Geographic magazine.
About NDSUWith a reputation for excellence in teaching and multidisciplinary research, North Dakota State University, Fargo, links academics to real world opportunities. As a metropolitan land grant institution with more than 12,500 students, NDSU is listed in the top 100 of several National Science Foundation annual research expenditure rankings in the areas of chemistry, physical sciences, psychology, agricultural sciences, and social sciences. http://www.ndsu.edu
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