Tag Archives: reconstruct

From tribal symbols to the name of an ex, people have long adorned their skin with ink. Countless cultures have developed and practiced the art of tattooing for at least 5,000 years. Among the most famous examples are Ötzi the Iceman, found frozen in the Alps with 61 tattoosand the Chinchorro mummy of ancient Chile, marked with black, mustache-like dots thought to be tattoos beneath his nose. Despite their ubiquity, ancient tattoos are difficult to study. Scientists have relied on inked-up mummies for glimpses into the early origins of the art form. But tattoos on their skin are often faded or rendered invisible by the mummification process, limiting how much researchers can glean from them. Now, new technologies are helping bring these ancient tattoos back to life. An international team of researchers used high-resolution near-infrared photography to...