DNA Testing of Egyptian Mummies
Hawass is skeptical of DNA testing of Egyptian mummies. He stated that "From what I understand, it is not always accurate and it cannot always be done with complete success when dealing with mummies. Until we know for sure that it is accurate, we will not use it in our research". In December 2000, a joint team from Waseda University in Japan and Cairo's Ain Shams University tried to get permission for DNA testing of Egyptian mummies, but was denied by the Egyptian Government. Hawass added that DNA analysis was out of the question because it would not lead to anything. In February 2010 Hawass and his team announced that they had analyzed the mummies of King Tutankhamun and ten other mummies and said that the king may have died from a malaria infection that followed a leg fracture. This has been doubted by German researchers Christian Timmann and Christian Meyer who have suggested alternatives as Tutankhamun's cause of death such as sickle cell disease or other inherited disorders.
Hawass is skeptical of DNA testing of Egyptian mummies. He stated that "From what I understand, it is not always accurate and it cannot always be done with complete success when dealing with mummies. Until we know for sure that it is accurate, we will not use it in our research". In December 2000, a joint team from Waseda University in Japan and Cairo's Ain Shams University tried to get permission for DNA testing of Egyptian mummies, but was denied by the Egyptian Government. Hawass added that DNA analysis was out of the question because it would not lead to anything. In February 2010 Hawass and his team announced that they had analyzed the mummies of King Tutankhamun and ten other mummies and said that the king may have died from a malaria infection that followed a leg fracture. This has been doubted by German researchers Christian Timmann and Christian Meyer who have suggested alternatives as Tutankhamun's cause of death such as sickle cell disease or other inherited disorders.
