Decoding King Tut's DNA : Big Pics
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An unprecedented investigation into the genetic history of the King Tutankhamun has solved a long-standing mystery surrounding the popular pharaoh: his family tree.
Led by Zahi Hawass, chief of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, DNA sampling of the Royal Mummies at the famous Valley of the Kings, on the West Bank of Luxor, Egypt, revealed King Tut's parents and grandparents. Further analysis also determined his cause of death, as well as a number of ailments with which he was afflicted.
Tune in for "King Tut Unwrapped," Sunday, Feb. 21 and Monday, Feb. 22, at 8 P.M. ET/PT on Discovery Channel.
In addition to King Tut's DNA, the researchers also took samples from 15 other mummies -- 10 of which were suspected of being closely related to Tut and five others were used for a control group.
According to the team's analysis, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the "heretic" pharaoh Akhenaten was most likely the father of Tutankhamun.
The researchers who worked on this study, pictured above, also determined that King Tut had malformed feet, which may have forced him to walk with a cane. He also apparently suffered from malaria.
Although historical records and previous archaeological expeditions have helped piece Tut's history together, this study sheds new light on the personal history of the world's most famous pharaoh.
Get the whole story from Discovery News' Rossella Lorenzi here.
Photo credits: Barry Iverson/DCI
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