Dr. Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, commissioned a rare DNA test on the mystery mummy to determine its gender. He kindly faxed Disclosure a copy of the results.
We wanted to talk to Dr. Fletcher, but finding a mummy hunter isn’t easy. According to the geneticist who carried out the test, it’s a man-mummy. DNA Test [PDF] - see the Sex Identification Report conducted for Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA). After seeing the DNA report, we wanted to talk to Dr. Fletcher more than ever. But finding a mummy hunter isn’t easy.
We strolled the crumbling ramparts ... We scoured the ancient edifices ... We tried several times to talk to her, but we were told Fletcher was refusing all interviews about the Nefertiti controversy. Surely she’d want to know her mummy was now looking a little ... manly?
We pinned a copy of the DNA report to Dr. Fletcher's door and headed west to tell the folks at Discovery about the DNA test. We did finally unearth Fletcher’s home address on the Yorkshire coast. But wouldn’t you know, Dr. Fletcher wasn’t home.
So we left her a copy of the DNA report and headed west to tell the folks at Discovery about the DNA test.
How would they take the news that Nefertiti was shaping up as the drag queen of the Nile?
Disclosure’s Mark Kelley sat down with Discovery’s Vice President of Production, Phil Fairclough:
FAIRCLOUGH: The position from all of the human remains experts that examined the body was that it was the skeleton of a female. If there is new evidence which suggests otherwise I would be delighted to see it and we will follow that story. KELLEY: I’ve got a good story for you, I guess. I mean have you seen the DNA study that Dr. Hawass did on that? FAIRCLOUGH: No, I haven’t seen the DNA study but I’d be delighted to see it and if there is new evidence which suggests that there is DNA and that the DNA is male-- KELLEY: Take a look; it’s only two pages. FAIRCLOUGH: Well I can’t, I can’t actually decipher that but if Dr. Hawass has got evidence that this is a male then we’d be delighted to analyze that evidence and publicize that evidence. KELLEY: But what happens to the film, do you then keep running the film? Because you want scientific accuracy here and if ... this mummy is more a daddy ... Do you then pull it, pull the film? FAIRCLOUGH: If there is more evidence to be revealed then the program will be updated. Then again, maybe not. When versions of Nefertiti Resurrected went to air recently in the United Kingdom and Canada, there were no new elements added.
Originally Broadcast January 13, 2004 / Watch the story [Real Media]
Blockbuster Science: Mainpage Introduction / Chasing Nefertiti / Who is Dr. Joann Fletcher? Resurrecting the Debate / More 'Daddy' than 'Mummy'? Links and Documents / Credits
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