The author's purpose: informational texts 7

Respectful Research

1. Who isn’t interested in mummies? Mummies fascinate everyone—world travelers, artists, kids, scientists, and more. Hollywood creates epic movies about mummies. They’re a favorite topic for books, and don’t forget all the mummies you see running around on Halloween night! Archaeologists study mummies to try to understand the everyday lives of ancient humans: What did they eat? How old did they live? How did they die? What kinds of diseases did they have? How far did they travel from their homes? Fascinating stuff, to be sure, but studying mummies has become somewhat controversial.
2. Some people argue that scientists have no right to study deceased remains. They claim that it’s disrespectful to the dead to use their bodies for science. They point out that it would be illegal to study a modern person’s remains without consent from that person or their family, so they contend that it’s wrong to remove these ancient bodies from the grounds where they were laid to rest since they don’t have permission.
3. Although it’s very important that we should respect human remains, think about it this way: by studying mummies, scientists are actually showing deep respect for the dead. They are honoring these individuals by learning as much as they can about their lives. These ancient humans have important stories to tell, and these scientists are there to listen. In addition, mummy research holds clues to understanding and curing modern-day diseases. Dr. Haagen Klaus, an archaeologist from George Mason University, studies mummies from all over the world. Through his research, he has been able to pinpoint where and why some cultures suffered from tuberculosis while others didn’t. His research is helping drug companies come up with possible cures for the disease, which still kills 1.6 million people around the world every year.