It took a cadre of medical experts and the most advanced technology to date to determine that the answer was four, four being the age of the tiny mummy recently scanned from head to toe, and now back in her sarcophagus at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose.

The results were pretty spectacular - a very young girl could be seen with enormous clarity, her facial characteristics, her fine curly hair, her perfect body … and a mother lode of other hidden information sprang forth, as well. The outline of a metal breastplate was visible, woven within the strips of cloth winding again and again around her body. Even the dutiful position in which she was placed spoke volumes: This was the much-loved daughter of a wealthy Egyptian family, who lived some 20 centuries ago.

Across the ages the heartbreak was palpable.

Man has always yearned to look inside without going there, and it isn't limited to mummies. In developed countries, few can say they've never gotten an x-ray to determine if a bone was broken or fractured, or a tooth in serious need of repair. And it certainly goes on all around us, as well.

At the airport, we take off our shoes, unload our laptops and empty our pockets. We walk through metal detectors, frequently catching a glimpse of some other passenger's x-rayed bag. Even the plane we board for takeoff was subjected to these kinds of scans as it was being assembled.

Every tiny part was x-rayed at the factory, every set of turbine blades inside every jet engine was scanned and put on file. Should there be an accident, five, ten, twenty years later, these original x-rays are brought up and examined, and they're compared to what may be left post-accident. One technology tells the tale on another. Was there an internal air pocket or crack that had been undetected? Was the casting flawed, depositing uneven material within the blade itself? If so, the part was destined for failure, yet the problem could never have been caught by the naked eye.

Engineers call this approach "non-destructive testing," and the idea is to test an object without affecting it in any way. Obviously, it comes to mind with this young Egyptian girl, some 2,000 years and 7,000 miles away from when and where she lived and breathed.

Today, in what is now the third millennium, the imaging rays had penetrated, but she was left blessedly intact, untouched by human hands. No one fumbled with her wrappings in the name of science, curiosity or greed. No one undid the care that was intended to last for all eternity. No one unwittingly destroyed information or compromised the sacred. Yet humanity could stand on the outside looking in, witnessing the innocence of the ages, the amazing power and consistency of human emotion from parents to offspring, and their undeniable respect for the human body.

During her lifetime this young girl brought joy to her family. How could anyone have guessed the awe she would inspire 100 generations later?

What a great day for technology. What a stunning day for all humankind.

I'm Moira Gunn. This is Five Minutes.

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