Swiss and German scientists have experimented with using airport body scanners for a less controversial purpose – screening ancient mummies.

Mummies are usually investigated with conventional X- rays or computer tomography scans, which provide the clearest images.
But high resolution comes at a price.

Ionizing radiation used by X-rays and CT scans can destroy highly fragmented ancient DNA. But the terahertz radiations of body scanners are completely harmless to human cells and don't destroy tissue....