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Getting a body ready for eternal life takes time. Priests and embalmers in 18th-Dynasty Egypt (c. 1550-1319 B.C.) generally spent 70 days preparing a pharaoh for burial. Of course, the bodies of the poor didn't get such royal treatment, and techniques of mummification varied over the 3,000 years it was practiced. In this slide show, Egyptologist Salima Ikram, one of the world's foremost experts on mummification, guides us through a "classic" mummification.

How did ancient Egyptians prepare a body for burial? Witness the elaborate process of mummification in this slide show.

David Levin

Susan Lewis

How the Egyptians Made Mummies

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NOVA investigates the story of cannabis from the criminalization that has disproportionately harmed communities of color to the latest medical understanding of the plant. What risks does cannabis pose to the developing brain? How much do we know about its potential medical benefits? As cannabis becomes socially accepted, scientists are exploring its long-term health consequences. (Premiered September 29, 2021)Check out a previously recorded panel discussion and audience Q&amp;A featuring experts and producers from "The Cannabis Question" <a href="https://youtu.be/nSTT5RZ_hxA">here</a>.

As state-legalized cannabis spreads, NOVA explores its little-known risks and benefits.

The Cannabis Question

A 2006 composite image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Telescope shows the chaos of baby stars in the Orion nebula some 1,500 light-years away. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI

With the upcoming launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, the Hubble era is gradually drawing to a close. Here are some highlights from the countless wonders Hubble has shown us during its 31 years in space.

10 spectacular Hubble Space Telescope images

A statue of Zheng He at the Sam Poo Kong Temple in Java, Indonesia. Image Credit: Budianto Santosa, Shutterstock

In the 1400s, Zheng He sailed thousands of miles around Asia and Africa in ships the size of soccer fields, spreading Chinese innovations like compasses and gunpowder in the process.

How the Egyptians Made Mummies

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