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Tutankhamun's DNA To Be Tested

Posted by michael on from the 3000-years-of-child-support-payments-come-due dept.

richard_za writes "Archeologists and doctors from Japan's Waseda University and Nagoya University will join with researchers from Egypt's government and Cairo University to open King Tut's coffin for the first time in 30 years to remove samples of hair, bone or nail. Using these samples, his DNA will be analysed and compared to that of Amenhptep III to test whether he really was Tut's father. The final goal is to map out the lineage of the Kingdom. You can find the full story here."

11 comments

  1. Trust Scientists by billybob2001 · · Score: 5

    Trying to prove that a Mummy is a Daddy.

  2. Humm.... by Alien+Chaos · · Score: 2

    What if they find out they only aprear to be human... and have some unknown alien DNA? if not it's on to step two... Step two: Charge $500 a test to see if you are related to king tut...

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    .. . . . . . . . .
  3. Tutankhamun childeren by Big+Torque · · Score: 3

    Tutankhamun had to children (girls I think) who died as infants and we have there remains It would be good to check there DNA as well to confirm there are truly his children.

    1. Re:Tutankhamun childeren by macpeep · · Score: 2
      That's exactly what his girlfriend wanted

      What? A DNA test to prove it was her kids? ;)

    2. Re:Tutankhamun childeren by Black+Parrot · · Score: 2

      > It would be good to check there DNA as well to confirm there are truly his children.

      That's exactly what his girlfriend wanted, though personally I think there should be a statute of limitatons on this kind of case.

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      Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
    3. Re:Tutankhamun childeren by Zarvox · · Score: 1

      Uhhh... Wasn't King Tut only 9 years old? DAMN, If I had 2 girls by the time I was 9..... *grin*

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      Zarvox
  4. Why bother? by The+Anti-Christ · · Score: 1

    We all (hopefully) know that the Egyptian royal families survived on imbreeding. So, why bother testing Tut's DNA? To find how horribly imbred he was?

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    He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. -Friedrich Nietzsche
    1. Re:Why bother? by gimp999 · · Score: 1

      At least it would be interesting to see if your theory is wrong.

  5. Royal blood in the family by Marios+Richards · · Score: 1

    I wonder how long it will be until someone pays for artificial insemination with re-activated royal spermatazoa? I can just imagine it on Oprah - "Delinquent fathers". "The father of my child not only died several thousand years ago but his country refuses to acknowledge my son as royal issue...". Marios

  6. Tutakhnanem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3

    naked and mummified!

  7. StarGate, anyone? by Elbelow · · Score: 2

    What if they find out they only aprear to be human... and have some unknown alien DNA?
    More specifically, what if they turn out to contain traces of some weird alien parasite and have genes for the luciferase system or some luminescent protein in their eyes? We might finally have proof of the Goa'uld presence on earth in Egyptian times!