X-rays of the mummy of an ancient Egyptian noblewoman reveal an assortment of health issues: from curvature of the spine, known as scoliosis, to other deformities that could be the result of polio.

Lisa Gherardini, a 16th-century noblewoman from the Republic of Florence, is long believed to be the figure in Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece. But who was she? Born into a once-influential ...