Scientists crack the Tutankhamun curse

He is the youngest king of ancient Egypt, but unfortunately, tragically young age, his death remains a mystery until today.King Tutankhamun people are actually the most talked about his name, the so-called curse of King Tutankhamun, was also known as mummy curse.The latest study, scientists found that King Tutankhamun curse may be the result of a toxic fungus.The truth is that so?

find the cause of death Qana Feng

British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922 discovered the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb, which is the history of the world's major archaeological discovery, was the world set off a Tutankhamun fever.After the boom, although it remains concerned with the mummy on the news, but none of the sensational effect of the news with King Tutankhamun mummy curse or curse par.

funded archaeological projects that Lord British Qana von after visiting the tomb of Tutankhamun died soon after infection, which further heighten the perception of supernatural forces are at work on speculation.Supernatural that has its market, but scientists certainly do not really have any supernatural powers that they have been cracking the King Tutankhamun curse.In recent years, a scientific conclusion about the curse mummy is possible for the death of Lord Feng Qana to find a scientific basis.

In fact, from the start, scientists, research focuses on finding no supernatural powers, they believe, Fabio von Lord of the germ either died from the tomb, or died of their fragile immune system.However, the two factors, which one is his real cause of death it?

fungus may be to blame

The researchers found that, before leaving for Egypt, Fabio von Lord actually already have a chronic disease and further damage to his immune system.University of Pennsylvania Museum Egyptologist Jennifer Wei Gena said: a reference to Egyptian tombs, you not only think of the corpse when buried, but also think of sacrificial victims with food - meat, vegetables and fruit.These foods will certainly provoke insects, fungi, bacteria and various other things.They may exist in the tomb of three thousand years ago into a. Scientists recently conducted in the laboratory study found that some ancient mummy is indeed parasitic fungi, including at least two kinds of potentially dangerous fungi - Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus.These fungi can cause congestion in the lungs and bleeding from a variety of allergic reactions.Toxic substances, especially people with weakened immune systems would cause harm.Some of the walls of the tomb there is universal coverage can attack the respiratory system of bacteria, such as Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus.



scientists also found a closed sarcophagus ammonia, formaldehyde and hydrogen sulfide.Once the concentration of toxic gases to achieve strong, they are likely to hurt people's eyes and nose, making it appear similar to symptoms of pneumonia, the situation is serious but also lethal.The researchers even more surprising is that many tombs were opened even further sojourn with the bat.Later found that these tombs fell into disrepair, there were many cracks, the bat so grave as to his own home.However, these bat dung contains a fungus, this fungus can cause flu-like respiratory illness - histoplasmosis.Under the right conditions, this situation may also lethal.

yielded more secure than outside the tomb

While deadly fungus that is more and more researchers have accepted, some scientists have put forward different views.Feng studied the Qana deaths of Lord some experts believe that the tomb of toxic substances within the Qana von Lord did not have any negative impact on mortality.

These experts explained that the aging and ailing Lord von Qana before entering the tomb of Tutankhamun with chronic diseases.In addition, he first entered the tomb in the months after the death.If he really exposed to the infection of the tomb of toxic substances, then the symptoms should have shown.University of Hawaii professor of epidemiology DeWolfe Miller, professor wrote: My view of Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb archaeologists open the same view: taking into account the health conditions in Egypt at that time, perhaps in Qana Lord Feng than in the tomb within a tomb outside but also safety.

deadly fungus that has been questioned
Wei Gena
the University of Pennsylvania, said there are a variety of fungi tomb, not surprisingly, those in the tomb where her work colleagues are not worried about fungal infections.

archaeologists so do not pay attention to protect themselves is justified.They think that if some people's immune system is very fragile, of course they are more likely to be infected with a disease in the tomb, but people may not have noticed that the immune system does not sound even if the restaurant or any other place in the same may happen.Moreover, fungi and bacteria commonly found in ancient Egyptian tombs, you can hardly distinguish the real from fungi or bacteria which in ancient Egypt. Or should pay attention to safety

However, according to Connecticut State University Professor Kenneth Fidel archeology that kind of play down the practice of biological risk tomb is not desirable, because many of the archaeological dig sites do exist potentially dangerous biological, archaeological family should address this issue.

Fidel is a dangerous place: the health, safety, and one of the author of Archaeology.In most archaeological sites, the researchers four weeks has been shrouded in dust, direct exposure to potentially harmful substances into.
Fidel pointed out that the archaeological community
circulating a joke: you toil in the fields day after the home, even if you are blowing the nose, will blow a lot of dust.There is no doubt that the process of labor you have inhaled the dust of your body.If you are on the ground exposed to fungal spores, then you may be exposed to at least some of endangering your health hazardous substances.It can be found in many soil fungi, like living in caves full of small animals and their manure channel for these fungi, which provide nutrients to survive.

Who is Who polluted

However, the scientific community generally felt that, although most, including archaeological sites, including tombs are parasitic fungi, bacteria and other harmful substances, but these sites have been proven in scientific research does not endanger the safety of staff and visitors.Archaeologists are now most worried about is not the mummy or tomb curse on them, it's the modern curse of the tomb, is still a general lack of modern tomb protection awareness, sometimes becomes a kind of excavation damage.

the University of Hawaii Professor Miller said: a lot of examples have shown that human pollution of the tomb, not the tomb of human pollution.Many people only know to open the tombs, long a major archaeological discovery, but do not know how to protect the tomb, resulting in extensive damage tombs, moisture will make the fungus attached to the walls of the large population, destruction of those beautiful murals and other artefacts.

Editor Zhang】 【