"Kathryn explained to us how the medical use of mummies paired with later Egyptomania resulted in the loss of millions of mummies."

“Biological anthropology — a physical science in a gentle embrace with social science—happens to be a field predominately led by women, so I have the fortune of working with brilliant woman scientists every day,” says Hunt. “While sexism still exists in our lives, I’m privileged to witness a world in which women in science is commonplace and celebrated, as in this picture. And science is stronger for it!”

"We really wanted to give the creative community the opportunity to fire their neurons in support of a range of causes from the field of health, environmental issues and education. And, of course, we kept asking ourselves in reviewing these submissions: ‘Where would the world’s best creative talent have the most impact and do the most good?’"

"The field dedicated to the study of cancer in antiquity, known as “paleo-oncology,” is a small one, made up of a few scholars that have given some of their limited time to select case studies. But there’s a great deal of work still to be done."

"[Hunt] says she hopes this expanding field of archaeological inquiry will add to contemporary understandings of cancer."

"There wasn't a lot of evidence because people didn't know what to look for. It lit my fire. A few years ago, a few colleagues and I put together the Paleo-oncology Research Organization, and I've collected more than 230 cases of evidence of cancer in ancient societies."

"When she was diagnosed with rare and aggressive ovarian cancer at the age of 22, rather than derailing her lifelong passion for archeology, it became a catalyst for deeper research...Hunt began researching cancer as an ancient disease, and discovered that it did have a real presence in antiquity."

" 'I want to look at evidence of cancer in archaeological remains, and add to a dataset that’s virtually nonexistent,' Hunt said. 'At that point I wouldn’t have even called it a field—now it is, but a very, very small field.' "

"A more complete picture of cancer could help us better understand its causes, which could lead to more effective prevention, detection and treatment. For example, understanding how a cancer-causing mutation changed over time might allow us to predict how it could change in the future and possibly even inhibit it."

“ 'If we can get a better understanding of why cancer manifests the way it does, because of genetic, environmental, and cultural factors...that behavior might lead us to better treatment, better prevention, and better quality of life for those going through cancer,' Hunt says"

"This concept of studying the dynamics of cancer development throughout history could revolutionize the way we conduct cancer research by changing the way we understand the disease. This is an idea worth spreading."