National Geographic: The Invisible World Page #6

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schlieren photography

allows us to see heat energy

that constantly flows all around us

A valuable new tool in medicine

super-sensitive infrared cameras

can detect slight variations

in skin temperature

which often signal early warnings

of cancerous tumors and other diseases

Each color represents a one-half

degree difference in temperature

Red areas are the warmest

blue the coolest

To a doctor's trained eye

the body's varied heat patterns

show a wealth

of vital diagnostic information

once hidden from his view

By photographing a subject

with visible light

only the outer surface details are

recorded by the camera

Using another form of energy

invisible to the eye

we can penetrate solid matter

and create an image on film

Discovered in 1895

x-rays were briefly considered

by some to be a threat to

feminine modesty

However, fears were allayed at

first sight of the image

and the x-ray was quickly put to use

as a valuable new tool of medicine

Today, the power of the x-ray

is expanding our knowledge

of the past

When fragile Egyptian mummies are

subjected to modern x-ray analysis

scientists gain new insight into

their little-known culture and lives

What time and wrappings have hidden

x-rays can still reveal

X-rays of Yuya, a royal adviser

show obvious dental disease

Thuya, his wife, suffered painfully

from arthritis and a badly curved spine

The infant Pediamon received a less

than noble burial

His arms were amputated and his legs

were broken to fit an undersized coffin

For an unidentified mummy

a less desirable fate

Legs are intact

but the torso is

mysteriously missing

Pharaoh Amenhotep I

X-raying directly through his

beautifully preserved coffin reveals

that his body had been damaged

by ancient grave robbers

and repaired by priests

five centuries later

Perhaps no pharaoh is better known

that the young king Tutankhamun

Penetrating rays show that

his golden mask

was constructed in several parts

He beard was added last

attached to the chin by

a tapered peg

The body of King Tut itself has

undergone careful analysis

in hopes of finding evidence as to

the cause of the young pharaoh's death

X-rays, however, show a young man

in good health

And unless there is evidence still

to be discovered

the reason for Tut's early death

may remain forever a mystery

Sound, like light, or heat, or x-rays

radiates all around us in the form

of vibrating waves

This image of a human hand was made

with high-frequency sound

Using this technique

doctors can now see soft

internal tissue

that was not safely

accessible before

Sensitive sound-imaging cameras

are today

revolutionizing prenatal care

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