The Discovery Channel, Applied Biosystems, and the Supreme Council of Antiquities (Egypt) have established a permanent DNA lab at the Cairo Museum. The purpose of the lab is to establish a suitable environment to develop, refine, and apply modern DNA forensic and investigative techniques. The first project for the team and lab was the investigation of female mummies which might possibly be the remains of the female Egyptian pharaoh, Hatshepsut.
According to the 2007 Discovery Channel documentary, and material posted publicly by Dr. Zahi Hawass of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, usable nuclear DNA was recovered from the mummy (KV60A) now thought to be Hatshepsut. The other mummy (KV60B) found in the same tomb, in the coffin identified as for the "nanny" (wet-nurse) of Hatshepsut, Sitre, also yielded usable nuclear DNA.
But nuclear DNA which the team extracted from the mummy identified as Thutmose I was not usable. It could not be amplified adequately to test it against the DNA from the two female mummies.
According to the sources, mitochondrial DNA has been extracted from both the female mummies (KV60A and KV60B), and from a mummy previously identified as likely to be Hatshepsut's maternal grandmother, Ahmose Nefertari. Work on comparing their mitochondrial DNA to confirm or disprove a relationship has not been completed. Because there is more mitochondrial DNA than nuclear DNA in cells, more is likely to have survived. But mitochondrial DNA can only be used to show female ancestry, as it is inherited solely through a person's mother.
DNA breaks down in the human body after death. Modern techniques have learned to take fragments of the DNA molecule and amplify it, producing enough DNA to test for unique characteristics and patterns which may indicate familial relationships.
Going forward, the team hopes to use the new lab and techniques to clarify other family relationships among the pharaohs and other royalty of ancient Egypt.
Sources Consulted
- Secrets of Egypt's Lost Queen. First aired: 7/15/07. Discovery Channel. Brando Quilico, executive producer.
- "Applied Biosystems Helps Build Egypt's First Laboratory for Ancient DNA Analysis." Press Release, Applied Biosystems, n.d. (June 2007).
- "Frequently Asked Questions." Press Release, Discovery Channel, n.d. (June 2007).
All About Hatshepsut:
Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut Issues
- Hatshepsut's History: The Trouble with Titles
- Heiress Theory
- Problems with Dating Hatshepsut's Life
- Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis II Marriage
Discovery Channel: Secrets of Egypt's Lost Queen
- How Was Hatshepsut's Mummy Identified?
- Review: Secrets of Egypt's Lost Queen
- Interview with Dr. Kara Cooney
- Different About.com Guide perspectives on the June, 2007, news:
Related Archaeology:
Related:
