60秒科学:Pharaohs Had Heart Disease

Pharaohs Had Heart Disease
A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that multiple ancient Egyptian mummies show signs of atherosclerosis. Karen Hopkin reports

You've probably heard the expression “a heart attack on a plate.” Maybe it’s fettuccini alfredo. Or maybe it’s a bacon cheeseburger, covered in batter¹ and deep fried to artery-clogging perfection. Either way, it's clear that our modern diet is not always the most cardio-friendly. But that doesn’t mean that heart disease is a recent invention. Because a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association reveals that some Egyptian mummies show signs of atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries².

Previous examination of a pharaoh’s mummy in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities³ in Cairo showed that he’d suffered from atherosclerosis. Intrigued⁴ by this observation, scientists from the University of California, Irvine, got to wondering whether damaged arteries were common among ancient Egyptians. So they collected 20 mummies from the museum basement and from various displays, and subjected them to whole-body CT scans to look at their insides. Sixteen mummies still had identifiable hearts or arteries. And nine of them showed hardening of those arteries.

Although no one knows what those mummies were eating, it's safe to say they never encountered a corn dog. Too many of those things will lead you to an early tomb.
 

1 batter   

v.接连重击；磨损；n.牛奶面糊；击球员

参考例句：

• The batter skied to the center fielder.击球手打出一个高飞球到中外野手。
• Put a small quantity of sugar into the batter.在面糊里放少量的糖。

2 arteries   

n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道

参考例句：

• Even grafting new blood vessels in place of the diseased coronary arteries has been tried. 甚至移植新血管代替不健康的冠状动脉的方法都已经试过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is the place where the three main arteries of West London traffic met. 这就是伦敦西部三条主要交通干线的交汇处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 antiquities   

n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 )；古迹；古人们；古代的风俗习惯

参考例句：

• There is rest and healing in the contemplation of antiquities. 欣赏古物有休息和疗养之功。 来自辞典例句
• Bertha developed a fine enthusiasm for the antiquities of London. 伯沙对伦敦的古迹产生了很大的热情。 来自辞典例句

4 intrigued   

adj.好奇的，被迷住了的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的过去式)；激起…的兴趣或好奇心；“intrigue”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You've really intrigued me—tell me more! 你说的真有意思—再给我讲一些吧！
• He was intrigued by her story. 他被她的故事迷住了。