• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Scientists' breakthrough in King Tut mystery after DNA results revealed likely cause of death

Home> News> World News

Updated 16:03 8 Apr 2025 GMT+1Published 16:02 8 Apr 2025 GMT+1

Scientists' breakthrough in King Tut mystery after DNA results revealed likely cause of death

People have long had questions about Tutankhamun's parentage

Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton

Information about King Tut's parents was revealed after decades of speculation and two years of intense DNA testing and scans.

The late king died around 1323 BC at the age of 18 or 19, having come into power at the young age of 10.

There's been many, many questions about the Egyptian pharaoh ever since his death, with historians and scientists across the globe trying to piece together the many mysteries about him.

Advert

One thing that people have long pondered is King Tut's cause of death which, with the help of modern day technology, scientists were able to work out after his tomb was located in 1922.

It was suggested that he had been murdered, but a 2005 CT scan debunked this theory.

It was also thought that the young king died from complications linked to a broken leg, with his wound having likely become infected.

But newer DNA testing also discovered that King Tut had malaria at the time of his death. It's likely that the illness contributed to his passing.

Advert

READ MORE:

EXPERTS THINK THEY'VE SOLVED THE 'CURSE' OF KING TUT'S TOMB

RESEARCHERS FOUND 'OVERLOOKED' CLUE ON TUTANKHAMUN'S DEATH MASK

In a 2010 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, it said, as per The Guardian: "A sudden leg fracture possibly introduced by a fall might have resulted in a life threatening condition when a malaria infection occurred."

Advert

These weren't the king's only health woes though, apparently he had 'multiple disorders' and needed canes to walk. 130 walking sticks and canes were discovered in Tutankhamun's tomb.

A forensically accurate organic replica of Tutankhamun’s mummy (Kiran Ridley/Getty Images)
A forensically accurate organic replica of Tutankhamun’s mummy (Kiran Ridley/Getty Images)

With these ailments in mind, it's believed that King Tut may have been a child of parents who were siblings, Howard Markel, a medical historian at the University of Michigan, said at the time.

Children born to parents who are so closely related to each other would be prone to genetic problems, he said.

Advert

Both King Tut and his father reportedly had cleft palates. He also had a clubfoot like his grandfather.

Other than his parents being siblings, little is known about King Tut's mom and dad.

A glimpse of King Tut's tomb seen in 1922 (The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)
A glimpse of King Tut's tomb seen in 1922 (The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Brother-sister marriages were common among Egypt's pharaohs.

Advert

While King Tut did have some health issues, the 2010 study's findings disproved people's theories that Tutankhamun and members of his family suffered from rare disorders that gave them feminine attributes and misshapen bones (such as Marfan syndrome).

The article stated: "It is unlikely that either Tutankhamun or Akhenaten actually displayed a significantly bizarre or feminine physique."

Featured Image Credit: Hannes Magerstaedt/Getty Images

Topics: History, Egypt

Niamh Shackleton
Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton is an experienced journalist for UNILAD, specialising in topics including mental health and showbiz, as well as anything Henry Cavill and cat related. She has previously worked for OK! Magazine, Caters and Kennedy.

X

@niamhshackleton

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

25 mins ago
2 hours ago
3 hours ago
4 hours ago
  • MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images
    25 mins ago

    Demi Moore’s most shocking sex confessions after admitting to cheating on husband the night before their wedding

    From scandal to strength, Demi Moore’s candid past still shocks fans

    Celebrity
  • Getty Stock Images
    2 hours ago

    Daughter discovers dad's secret after woman and two strangers show up to his funeral

    A final goodbye turned into a shocking family revelation

    News
  • Getty Images
    3 hours ago

    Doctor reveals the one part of your body you should never shave and warns of dangers

    Doctor Mike addresses the medical questions people are too embarrassed to ask

    News
  • Getty Images/Andrew Lichtenstein
    4 hours ago

    Plans to kill half a million wild owls in the US spark outrage as senator calls it 'dumbest thing ever'

    The Biden-era proposal hopes that by culling 500,000 barred owls, the endangered spotted owl can recover in numbers

    News
  • Ancient disease which wiped out 50,000,000 people found in DNA of Egyptian mummy
  • 4,500-year-old ancient mystery finally solved after key discovery in pyramid
  • Death row inmate's final meal revealed after brutally murdering four members of same family
  • Michelle Trachtenberg’s cause of death revealed to be diabetes complications