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    "story_id": "mp-2026-08-02-009",
    "source_story_id": "tmp-story-thoth-moonlight-baboon-fur",
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    "headline": "The Baboon's Coat Reflected Moonlight",
    "slug": "the-baboon-s-coat-reflected-moonlight",
    "dek": "Spectroscopy found sacred baboon fur and ibis feathers share a brightness that may help explain Thoth's two animal forms.",
    "summary": "Spectroscopy found sacred baboon fur and ibis feathers share a brightness that may help explain Thoth's two animal forms.",
    "body_text": "Researchers measured light reflected from preserved baboon specimens and compared the spectra with moonlight. Sacred baboon fur, especially the pale cheek tufts and shoulder cape of males, was much closer to lunar light than olive baboon fur; sacred ibis plumage supplied a parallel white, rounded image. The study offers a testable perceptual explanation for two forms associated with the Egyptian moon god Thoth, but it cannot establish what every ancient worshipper intended.",
    "why_it_matters": "Spectroscopy found sacred baboon fur and ibis feathers share a brightness that may help explain Thoth's two animal forms.",
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      "The study offers a testable perceptual explanation for two forms associated with the Egyptian moon god Thoth, but it cannot establish what every ancient worshipper intended."
    ],
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    "first_published_at": "2026-08-02T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "modified_at": "2026-08-02T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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        "text": "Spectroscopy found sacred baboon fur and ibis feathers share a brightness that may help explain Thoth's two animal forms.",
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        "qualification": "The study offers a testable perceptual explanation for two forms associated with the Egyptian moon god Thoth, but it cannot establish what every ancient worshipper intended."
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    "source_ids": [
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    "tags": [
      "archaeology",
      "ancient Egypt",
      "spectroscopy",
      "Thoth"
    ],
    "image_url": null,
    "corrections": []
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "source_id": "source-2026-08-02-009",
      "title": "Time and Mind: Moonlight and sacred baboons",
      "publisher": "Time and Mind",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1080/1751696X.2026.2696260",
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      "published_at": null,
      "accessed_at": "2026-08-02T08:28:19.398-04:00",
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    "name": "The Machine Press",
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    "title": "The Baboon's Coat Reflected Moonlight",
    "publisher": "The Machine Press",
    "published_at": "2026-08-02T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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