Posted on 06/25/2010 7:24:40 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Legendary pharaoh Tutankhamun was probably killed by the genetic blood disorder sickle cell disease, German scientists said Wednesday, rejecting earlier research that suggested he died of malaria.
The team at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in the northern city of Hamburg questioned the conclusions of a major Egyptian study released in February on the enigmatic boy-king's early demise.
That examination, involving DNA tests and computerised tomography (CT) scans on Tutankhamun's mummy, said he died of malaria after suffering a fall, putting to rest the theory that he was murdered.
But the German researchers said in a letter published online Wednesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association that closer scrutiny of his foot bones pointed to sickle cell disease, in which red blood cells become dangerously misshaped.
"We question the reliability of the genetic data presented in this (the Egyptian) study and therefore the validity of the authors' conclusions," the letter said.
"(The) radiological signs are compatible with osteopathologic lesions seen in sickle cell disease (SCD), a hematological disorder that occurs at gene carrier rates of nine percent to 22 percent in inhabitants of Egyptian oases."
Tutankhamun's death at about 19, after 10 years of rule between 1333 to 1324 BC, has long been a source of speculation.
One of the most common genetic disorders, sickle cell disease causes blood cells to take the shape of a crescent instead of being smooth and round, thereby blocking blood flow and leading to chronic pain, infections and tissue death.
The researchers called for further DNA tests on Tutankhamun's mummy for a definitive cause of death.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
King Tutankhamun's golden mask displayed at the Egyptian museum in Cairo in 2009. Legendary pharaoh Tutankhamun was probably killed by the genetic blood disorder sickle cell disease, German scientists said Wednesday, rejecting earlier research that suggested he died of malaria.… (AFP/File/Khaled Desouki)
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Gods |
Equating this with Sally Hemings in 3, 2, 1... |
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Tut tut.
I’ve often said that people who study mummies aren’t wrapped too tight.
If by Batman you mean overeating, then yes.
Victor Buono performed an original poem on one of the daytime talk shows of that period (probably Mike Douglas’), sort of a ‘fat guy strikes back’ thing, fairly funny.
This kid probably had an unhappy painful life. A very short life.
Kinda glad his treasures lived on to bring awe and happiness to the millions now who have seen them.
Seriously, I wonder how many kinds of sickle cell disease there are. There is one type found in West Africa (and among Americans of African ancestry), and another found around the Mediterranean (thalassemia). Is the type found in Egypt the same as one of those or a third type?
btt
I think of the people who lived poor,enslaved,suffering lives to support this spoiled little jackass.
Those weren’t his treasures. Did he mine any of the precious metals personally or did he get them by forcing others to mine or pay for them? Did he fashion the artistry himself seen in these beautiful works or were they done by unknown laborers? These were not his.He did not deserve them.
Or,perhaps you think hereditary monarchies are a “good” thing.
The two conditions are the same. The reason such a lethal gene is so common in people of African and Mediterranean descent is because these areas are in the “malarial belt”. If a person had two genes for hemoglobin A (AA), the person was likely to die of malaria. If the person had sickle cell anemia (SS), they were likely to die of their disease. The heterozygous individual (AS) had the best chance of survival because they did not have the adverse effects of sickle cell disease, but the malarial organism apparently does not survive as well in the heterozygous individual so the person did not die from malaria either.
The Fat Man’s Prayer by Victor Buono
Lord, my soul is ripped with riot,
Incited by my wicked diet.
“We are what we eat!” said a wise old man;
And Lord, if that’s true, I’m a garbage can.
I want to rise on Judgment Day, that’s plain;
But at my present weight, I’ll need a crane.
So grant me strength, that I may not fall,
Into the clutches of cholesterol.
May my flesh with carrot-curls be sated,
That my soul may be poly-unsaturated.
And show me the light, that I may bear witness,
To the President’s Council on Physical Fitness.
And at oleomargarine I’ll never mutter,
For the road to Hell is spread with butter.
And cream is cursed; and cake is awful;
And Satan is hiding in every waffle.
Mephistopheles lurks in provolone;
The Devil is in each slice of baloney;
Beelzebub is a chocolate drop;
And Lucifer is a lollipop.
Give me this day my daily slice,
But cut it thin and toast it twice.
I beg upon my dimpled knees;
Deliver me from jujubes.
And when my days of trial are done,
And my war with malted milks is won,
Let me stand with the heavenly throng
In a shining robe – size 44 long.
I can do it, Lord, if you’ll show to me
The virtues of lettuce and celery;
If you’ll teach me the evils of mayonnaise,
The sinfulness of Hollandaise.
Of Pasta a la Milannaise,
Potatoes a la Lyonnaise.
And crisp-fried chicken from the South,
Lord, if you love me, shut my mouth.
I’ve always heard he was a nice guy.
I was talking about Tut, not Obama... :-)
Hmm, the line I remember is “go to Hell, go to Hell, go to Hell” (that was the big laugh).
bigheadfred, FreeDeerHawk. FreeDeerHawk, bigheadfred.
:’)
Oh yes he did, because if he had not ordered them, they would never have come into existence in the first place.
To: bigheadfred
I think of the people who lived poor,enslaved,suffering lives to support this spoiled little jackass.
Those weren’t his treasures. Did he mine any of the precious metals personally or did he get them by forcing others to mine or pay for them? Did he fashion the artistry himself seen in these beautiful works or were they done by unknown laborers? These were not his.He did not deserve them..
Or,perhaps you think hereditary monarchies are a “good” thing.
Thanx civ for aiding and abetting :-))
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