Mummies are bodies that have been frozen and well-preserved over a given period of time. The mummies of Egypt are well known and have been the subject of many scientific experiments over the years. An example is the DNA analysis of the mummy of King Tut that found out he died as a result of malaria and certain bone abnormalities. The practice of conducting experiments has elicited much debate in the recent years. Scientists have argued that this practice will enable solving some of the current world diseases while the opponents of this practice have cited the lack of respect to those people (e.g. Pharaohs) who died a long time ago. By comparing the diseases of now and then, Scientists and researchers can be able to learn how diseases spread and even learn the specific ways of stopping them.
The early death of King Tut, one of the most famous Egyptian Pharaoh’s, has generated much debate with regards to the causes of his death. King Tut died at 19 years of age and left no heirs to his throne. Scientists carried out a DNA analysis of the mummy with the sole aim of finding out the signs of disease, whether genetic or not, that contributed to his early demise. The results found out that a bone disease (Kohler disease II) together with a malarial infection was the reason behind King Tut’s death. The bone disease alone could not lead to his death, but in conjunction with a parasitic malarial infection, they impaired him leading to his death. The scientists who carried out the research were able to hypothesize that a leg fracture might result to a life-threatening condition (such as death) when a malaria infection occurs. From the DNA analysis of the mummy, the scientists were able to identify the specific causes of his death. Similarly, current research on mummies can identify the causes of certain diseases, the disease characteristics and how they can be spread. Knowing all this information about a disease could lead to the formulation of preventive measures to its spreading and also discovery of its cure.
Mind Map
Scientific Experiments on Mummies
- Establishing the link between disease prevalent in the past and those present today.
- Finding the causes of certain diseases.
- Establishing the common symptoms.
- Establishing how the diseases spread (e.g. Genetic)
- Finding measures to stop the spread of these diseases.
- Discovering cures for current diseases.
Works Cited
Staff, LiveScience. "What Killed King Tut." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 16 Feb. 2010. Web. 03 Nov. 2014.
