( CNN ) -- The urge to undress a mummy can be strong . In the 19th century , Egyptologists did n't think twice about tearing off a mummy 's wrappings . Even Ramses the Great could n't avoid the indignity of being stripped bare in front of an audience of curious onlookers . Today 's experts in the field know better . `` Certainly , it 's a damaging process , and you lose a lot of information and disturb the mummy itself . It 's also something that is no longer necessary with advancements in technology , '' says Dr. Daniel Antoine , the curator of physical anthropology at the British Museum in London . The institute 's vast collection of sarcophagi has remained largely undisturbed for over 200 years . This year , however , researchers have again decided to peek underneath the linens ( and skin and muscle ) , though this time using the Royal Brompton Hospital 's dual-energy CT scanner -- one of the most advanced in London . The data they gather from the scans is then plugged into the same 3D-modeling software used by car companies to analyze engines . The technology has given them the clearest picture to date of what life was like along the Nile 2,500 years ago . `` You can tell the software what part are bandages and bone and skin , and you can peel away those layers . You can virtually remove the bandages to look at the body and any amulets covering the body , then remove the skin to look at the bones and any preserved organs , '' says Antoine . `` What that means in normal language is we 're able to see a lot more , a lot more clearly . '' Tamut , the temple singer . Of the corpses they 've scanned , eight will be on exhibit at the British Museum from May 22 . The star of the show is undoubtedly Tamut , a priestess and temple singer who died in Luxor , Egypt around 900 BC . The CT scans have allowed researchers to make a lot of new discoveries about Tamut . By analyzing her pelvic bone , they were able to find her approximate age ( between 30 and 50 ) . Gazing into her arteries , they found a possible cause of death -- plaque build-up that could have resulted in a heart attack or stroke . Antoine 's team could also see the amulets placed around her body in vivid detail ( several of which have been 3-D printed using the CT scan data ) . `` We 're even able to discern the inscriptions on some of the amulets , '' notes Antoine , including one of the Eye of Horus on a plate covering the incision used to remove her internal organs . `` The Eye of Horus was believed to have healing properties , so it could have been used to heal her wounds in the afterlife , '' explains Antoine . The man with bad teeth . The scans also revealed surprises about another of the of the British Museum 's mummies . Despite being in a woman 's sarcophagus , CT scans told researchers the body was male , that he died around 600 BC , and that he probably lived in terrible pain because of a plethora of dental abscesses . `` We 've found that a lot of the mummies had terrible dental health issues , specifically tooth decay and numerous abscesses caused by infections that spread to the blood stream , '' says Antoine . The unknown man is a particularly unique specimen , in that he is also evidence of a botched embalming job . Scans show both chunks of brain still present inside his skull , as well as part of the spatula used to remove it . `` There are few examples of such probes , and it 's great to see the shape of the one they would have used , '' says Antoine . `` It highlights some of the issues embalmers were confronted with . The hole on the inside of the skull through which the brain is extracted is rarely bigger than 2.5 centimeters , demonstrating a strong knowledge of human anatomy . ''
New CT machines allow researchers ` ` undress '' a mummy virtually . The British Museum uses the same machines employed by car companies to make 3-D models . Researchers can now approximate a mummy 's age , cause of death and general condition .