**Background:** The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the need for effective digital teaching tools, particularly for highly interdisciplinary fields like evolutionary medicine where students struggle to see connections between diverse subtopics such as genetics, paleopathology, and cultural context. Existing online platforms lack the ability to systematically interlink content or allow lecturers to easily adapt materials to their specific teaching needs. The authors developed the Mummy Explorer, an interactive online teaching tool that uses a virtual mummy excavation as a central theme to demonstrate how different analytical methods (paleoradiology, paleopathology, cultural context, provenance studies, paleogenetics, physiological analyses) interconnect.
**Methods:** The tool was programmed in HTML5 using free Google Web Designer software, allowing lecturers to download a template and replace text and images for their own topics. The tool was tested at the University of Zurich across five courses (one Medical Faculty, four Natural Sciences Faculty) over two consecutive academic years. In 2021, 67 of 233 invited students (28.8%) completed a binary-response survey. In 2022, 34 of 191 invited students (17.8%) completed a Likert-scale (1-5) survey. Additionally, 15 lecturers tested the template and provided feedback via a separate survey. The tool incorporates established learning theories including Bloom's Taxonomy, Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction, and Siemens' Connectivism principles.
**Key Results:** In the 2021 student survey, 98.5% (66/67) agreed the tool provided an overview of possible analyses for mummy studies, 98.5% (65/66) understood what data could be collected and for what purpose, 75.0% (48/64) understood how research areas were linked, 78.5% (51/65) found enough pictures and schemes, and 88.9% (56/63) found enough references. Technically, 92.2% (59/64) could open the tool, 79.7% (51/64) found pages loaded fast enough, and 96.9% (62/64) found picture resolution adequate. In the 2022 survey (Likert scale 1-5), mean scores were: overview of analyses 4.56 (91.2% of maximum), data collection understanding 4.60 (92.0%), pictures/schemes sufficiency 3.58 (71.6%), research area linkage 4.14 (82.8%), references sufficiency 3.79 (75.8%), and learning support 3.91 (78.2%). Technical scores improved: tool opening 4.91 (98.2%), page loading 4.61 (92.2%), picture visibility 4.41 (88.2%). Among 15 lecturers, 93.3% (14/15) could download the software, 84.6% (11/13) could open the template, but only 38.5% (5/13) found the manual sufficiently explained initially. After improvements, 92.3% (12/13) found the template useful and could envision using it for their own teaching.
**Clinical Implications:** While not a clinical study, this educational tool has implications for medical education by providing a method to teach evolutionary medicine—a field expected to improve physicians' biological understanding of human health and disease susceptibility. The tool's adaptable template allows integration into medical curricula across specialties, potentially enhancing critical thinking and helping students connect basic science concepts to clinical practice. The authors note that evolutionary medicine is rarely taught in medical schools despite evidence it improves understanding of human health, and tools like the Mummy Explorer could facilitate broader adoption. The tool supports all six levels of Bloom's revised taxonomy, from remembering through creating, and can be used in blended learning environments combining online self-study with in-person discussions.