Proteins in skin samples from 4,200-year-old ‘Egyptian Dark Age’ mummies have provided evidence of the activation and inflammation of the immune system, as well as the presence of tumors, according to studies at Macquarie University in Australia, Phys.org reported. This method of isolating proteins is significant as it is able to detect inflammation and tumors that “are undetectable by other methods, such as DNA analysis,” said researcher Jana Jones, adding that the study “provides a historical context for medical conditions that are found in the modern world such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.” The method, however, has one drawback, as materials extracted from the mummies may have been contaminated by sample collectors.