NMEC houses an array of scientific units equipped to support groundbreaking research and projects across various disciplines. These facilities offer cutting-edge technology and expertise to drive innovation and exploration.
Our Microscopy Unit offers comprehensive support to researchers in fields such as biology, geology, engineering, medicine, and archaeology. With a range of advanced microscopes, we enable in-depth analysis and research, facilitating groundbreaking discoveries and insights.
This unit provides the capability to separate, identify, and quantify organic materials, including lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, resins, waxes, dyes, plant extracts, animal fats, and other biomolecules. Our state-of-the-art equipment ensures precision and reliability in the analysis of organic matter.
As the first reference laboratory in Africa dedicated to studying ancient human, animal, and plant DNA, this unit is pioneering advanced methods for extracting and analyzing archaeological biological samples. The research extends to human kinship and environmental disease studies in ancient Egypt, facilitated by advanced DNA analysis equipment.
With a unique ability to date organic archaeological materials and distinguish between original and counterfeit art pieces, this unit plays a crucial role in uncovering the secrets of the past. Radiocarbon dating enables us to chart the timeline of Egypt’s historical treasures.
This laboratory is dedicated to the isolation and characterization of various microorganisms from diverse samples. It also focuses on developing effective methods for treating and eliminating microbial contamination in the environment, providing valuable insights for research and preservation.
The Molecular Spectroscopy Unit plays a pivotal role in analyzing organic materials, identifying proteins, and measuring the quality of various products. Its applications extend to biomedical research and academic scientific exploration, making it a versatile asset for researchers and industries alike.
This unit is essential for measuring the weight of samples at varying temperatures, assessing thermal stability, and studying heat flow in different materials. Its advanced devices offer critical insights into the characteristics and properties of substances, serving diverse scientific and industrial needs.
Specializing in the analysis of elements, including heavy metals, rare elements, and isotopes, this unit identifies and quantifies elements at extraordinarily low concentration levels. With applications ranging from food industry testing to geological dating, it serves as a cornerstone for various scientific fields.
Our X-ray imaging device is a powerful tool for examining mummies, revealing bone structures and identifying fractures, as well as discerning solid objects within the body. Additionally, it aids in distinguishing between genuine and replica paintings, a valuable asset for art and historical analysis.
A non-destructive unit with a broad spectrum of applications, the Raman Spectrometer Unit analyzes chemical, mineralogical, gemological, and other materials. Its versatile capabilities span archaeology, pharmaceuticals, geology, and numerous scientific research areas, unlocking insights across multiple disciplines.
The Mastersizer 2000 is a reliable solution for measuring particle size and distribution, meeting the industry’s needs for precise particle sizing. It plays a vital role in various fields, offering essential data for research and quality control.
Dedicated to the sterilization of antiquities and art pieces, the Anoxia Unit replaces oxygen with nitrogen gas. This method is effective in deterring insects that may harm artifacts while ensuring the preservation of the pieces themselves, a cost-effective and secure solution.
This unit unravels the secrets of ancient plant life, studying plants unearthed in archaeological excavations to understand their historical significance and environments. Scholars are welcome to explore and contribute to the study of these ancient botanical specimens.
The Bioarchaeology Unit delves into the study of human remains, offering a scientific window into past lives and human interactions with their surroundings. Using non-destructive methods, such as radiography, biometrics, biochemical analyses, and microscopic studies, this unit uncovers the origins of diseases and their spread, shedding light on historical health and medical practices.
A unique mobile laboratory, unparalleled in Egypt, ventures to sites to conduct diverse analyses, including element detection, age determination of art pieces, soil analysis, and much more. Equipped with state-of-the-art instruments, this unit provides on-the-go scientific support for various research and preservation endeavors, making it a valuable asset for interdisciplinary investigations.
The Preparation Unit is a multifaceted facility equipped with an array of auxiliary instruments essential for scientific experiments. These include instruments like viscosity measuring devices, rotary separators, lyophilizers, water distillation devices, heat sterilizers, water baths, centrifuges, mills, and more. These tools provide indispensable support for a wide range of research endeavors.
The Biobank Unit stands as a cornerstone in the realm of life science research, serving as a reference facility for the meticulous preservation of biological samples from diverse organisms. Its primary mission encompasses the safeguarding of genetic legacies from a myriad of species. Furthermore, the Biobank Unit plays a vital role in conserving specimens from endangered organisms, including rare plants, wildlife, and microbes with unique attributes. The facility employs an integrated classification system, coupled with comprehensive scientific documentation, to ensure the systematic storage and preservation of these invaluable specimens.
Scientific Laboratories at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization
NMEC includes a group of scientific research laboratories thar cover a wide range of scientific investigations, which serve work in the archaeological field as well as scientific research in all different fields. It includes the following laboratories.
For further information please contact us at info@nmec.gov.eg
Microscopes Unit
Our Microscopy Unit offers a comprehensive service to researchers and provides technical and methodological support in the development of projects that require these techniques like biology, geology, engineering, medicine and archaeology.
It contains: Polarized microscope, Inverted metallurgy microscope, Inverted fluorescence microscope, stereomicroscope, and Upright fluorescence microscope.
Chromatographic unit
The chromatography unit separates, identifies, and quantifies organic matters present in a sample, therefore, used to analyze a wide range of organic materials, including lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, resins, waxes, dyes, plant extracts, animal fats and other biomolecules. The unit contains two major devices (UPLC-ToF) and (GC-MS-HS).
Ancient DNA Unit
It is the first reference laboratory in Africa to study ancient human, animal and plant DNA. The laboratory aims to establish advanced methods for extracting and analyzing various archaeological biological samples to establish them in the future as a routine analysis. The lab also studies human kinship, in addition to studying diseases in the environment in ancient Egypt. The laboratory contains many advanced equipment specialized in DNA analysis.
Radiocarbon Unit
The radiocarbon unit is unique because of its great ability in dating organic archaeological materials such as: papyrus, manuscripts, wood, pottery, and some other materials via radioactive carbon dating. It can also distinguish between original and counterfeit art pieces.
Microbiology Laboratory
The laboratory isolates and defines different types of microorganisms from all different types of samples. The laboratory also studies the best possible methods for treatment and elimination of microbial contamination in the environment. The laboratory also allows researchers and scholars to conduct some tests related to the study of microbiology.
Molecular Spectroscopy Unit
The laboratory analyzes organic matters, identifies protein and what it contains of amino acids and dyes, and measures the quality of various products. It is also used to analyze biomedical research such as the pharmaceutical industry and academic scientific research. The laboratory contains two main devices; the Ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometer and the fluorescence spectrophotometer.
The Thermal Analysis Unit
This unit is used to measure the weight of a sample at different temperatures and determine the loss in weight with the increase in temperature in addition to studying the thermal stability of pharmaceuticals and a better definition of bound and free water in pharmaceuticals and the heat flow in different materials and determining the degree of glass transition, heat capacity and melting point as well the degree of purity of the substance. The laboratory contains the following devices: (TGA), (DMA), ( DSC), (TGA- FT-IR microscopy).
Elemental Analysis Unit
This unit specializes in analyzing most of the elements of the periodic table, especially heavy metals, rare elements and isotopes. The process includes identifying and quantifying elements at very low concentration levels, up to one part per trillion (ppt) of the sample. Elemental analysis is used in many fields, such as the food industry, drinking water analysis, pharmacy, and biomedicine. Isotope analysis can also be used to find the ratios of isotopes that are used in the geological dating of rocks. The unit contains two main devices: Atomic Absorption Spectrometer and (LA-ICP-MS).
X-RAY Unit
The x-ray imaging device is used to study the various mummies by imaging the bones, locating the fractures in them, and identifying the solid objects inside the body. The device can also be used to differentiate between the real and fake paintings.
Raman Spectrometer Unit
It is a non-destructive unit that analyzes chemical, mineralogical, gemological and other materials and is useful in the field of archaeology, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, geology and mineralogy, carbon materials, semiconductors, bio-cells, bone structure, drug cell interactions, DNA/RNA analysis, and much more.
Particle Size Measuring Unit
The Mastersizer 2000 is a practical, reliable and important solution for measuring the particle size and particle size distribution of materials. It is one of the devices that meets the daily industry needs for particle sizing.
Anoxia Unit
This unit is specialized in sterilizing antiquities and art pieces by replacing oxygen gas with nitrogen gas, which is toxic to most insects that may be contained in the artifact, considering that nitrogen gas has no effect on artifacts, and therefore it is considered one of the methods of insect control that is characterized by its low price and secure it to the exhibits.
Archaeobotanical Unit
This unit studies archaeological plants resulting from various excavations and determines the type of plant varieties for the purpose of studying and archaeological documentation of different plants and re-imagining the plant environment in the past. It can also host scholars to study samples for their research projects.
Bioarchaeology Unit
Studying human remains is the focus at the NMEC Bioarchaeology Laboratory. A deeper scientific understanding of past life and how people interacted with their environments is gained using physical anthropology to identify human origins, ages, and mortality rates in ancient cultures. The lab is also concerned with studying the origins and spread of diseases that have plagued people for centuries. Doing so advances our understanding of disease and health in earlier populations and societies, and provides solutions to some medical problems that have been affecting us in present day regarding the emergence and evolution of diseases. The laboratory uses non-destructive scientific methods to study ancient humans, such as radiography, biometrics, biochemical analyses, and microscopic analyses.
Mobile Laboratory Unit
It is a unique unit of its kind in Egypt, where the unit moves to the site to carry out various analysis such as detect elements and their concentration in any sample, determining the origin or age of art holdings, soil analysis, dye analysis, determining the proportions of heavy metals in materials, as well as the final test of industrial products and photographing mummified. The unit includes: Raman spectrometer, X-ray device, X-ray fluorescence device, and infrared spectrometer.
Preparation Unit
It is a unit that contains many auxiliary devices that researchers may need in some scientific tests, such as a viscosity measuring device, a rotary separator, a lyophilizer, a water distillation device, a heat sterilizer, a water bath, a centrifuge, a mill, etc.
Biobank Unit
It is a reference unit for preserving biological samples from different organisms as one of the main foundations in life science research and in preserving the genetic origins of various organisms. Also it will save samples of extinction-prone organisms (such as; some types of wild, rare plants and animals, or microbes with unique characteristics). The bank will store samples using an integrated classification system and thorough scientific documentation.
Contact us at info@nmec.gov.eg for further details or to request any of the accommodations mentioned above