What do skeletal biologists, biological anthropologists, mechanical engineers and museum curators have in common? Perhaps, surprisingly, a fascination with ancient Egyptian mummies! In 2023, researchers from McGill and Western University, approached McGill's Redpath Museum curators Annie Lussier and Anthony Howell with a request to analyze animal mummies from their World Cultures collection. Seven fragile wrapped bundles—presumably containing two hawks, two crocodiles, one cat and two ibises—were carefully delivered to the new X-ray imaging facility at École de technologie supérieure, to be digitally unwrapped and investigated from the inside, without damaging these precious bundles. 

Natalie Reznikov is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bio-engineering, whose research focusses on biomineralization — the study of structure-function relationships, formation and biomechanics of bone, teeth, eggshells, and mollusk shells.  She is a recipient of the William Dawson Award, conferred on scholars developing into outstanding, original and world-class researchers. Her eclectic career path includes qualification as a dentist, a 2014 PhD from Israel's Weizmann Institute, post-doctoral work at Imperial College London, and a spell with a Montreal IT company where she learned about advanced 3D image processing.  She credits this path as having endowed her with a profound admiration of Nature, of the ingenuity of evolution, and of how life is simultaneously both robust and fragile.