Friday, February 19, 2010

TUT THE GENETICALLY CHALLENGED


The case of King Tut could be even worse than the old Don Rickles insult, “that’s what happens when cousins marry.” Tut might have been what happens when siblings marry.

“King Tut may be seen as the golden boy of ancient Egypy today, but during his reign, Tutankhamun wasn't exactly a strapping sun god. Instead, a new DNA study says, King Tut was a frail pharaoh, beset by malaria and a bone disorder—his health possibly compromised by his newly discovered incestuous origins. The report is the first DNA study ever conducted with ancient Egyptian royal mummies. It apparently solves several mysteries surrounding King Tut, including how he died and who his parents were. "He was not a very strong pharaoh. He was not riding the chariots," said study team member Carsten Pusch, a geneticist at Germany's University of Tubingen. "Picture instead a frail, weak boy who had a bit of a club foot and who needed a cane to walk." Regarding the revelation that King Tut's mother and father were brother and sister, Pusch said, "Inbreeding is not an advantage for biological or genetic fitness. Normally the health and immune system are reduced and malformations increase." Click here for more.

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4 comments:

Lyle Hopwood said...

I hate that name "King Tut".

Like he doesn't get a real name, just a nickname. I noticed this tendency when "George Bush" was facing "Saddam". The press was pretty firm on President George Bush getting all his honorifics but the foreigner got called by his first name, like a dog.

In further nomenclature-related news, the wv is nomiroan.

Mick said...

I guess some of us are just too indolent to write "Tutankhamun" in full. I will attempt to do better.

Slave said...

Oh we all called him Tut after a hard day lugging blocks up the pyramid.

Couldn't make up his own mind anyway - started off as Tutankhaten. - living image of the sun. Nothing better to do lounging round the palace all day.

"Think I'll be Amun now, everyone"

Tut wasn't the only thing we called him, I assure you

Bring down those walls.

Lyle Hopwood said...

Oh, I didn't mean you, Mick. National Geographic started it. But if you have to write any more about him, ctrl-c, ctrl-v's your friend.

I see Slave got into Tutankhamun well before the masses joined in.