{
  "id": 17664,
  "title": "Moonlight-like fur and feathers may explain Egyptian god Thoth's two animal forms",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/01/moonlight-like-fur-and-feathers-may-explain-egyptian-god-thoths-two",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-01T15:00:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-07-moonlight-fur-feathers-egyptian-god.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ancient Egyptian god Thoth, associated with wisdom, had two distinct animal forms: a white, crescent-beaked bird and a silver-coated baboon. Researchers may have discovered a link between these two seemingly unrelated creatures. By using a light-measuring instrument, the scientists detected that both the sacred baboon's fur and the white feathers of the sacred ibis reflected light in a manner similar to moonlight. This discovery could provide a clearer understanding of why these animals were chosen to represent Thoth, despite their differences. The study, published in Time and Mind, suggests that the bright, moon-like appearance of these animals may have played a role in their association with the deity.",
  "summary": "The ancient Egyptian god of the moon had two very different faces: a crescent-beaked white bird and a silver-coated baboon. Now, researchers think they may have found the common thread connecting them all.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}