MUMMY WHEAT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 2, 22 July 1946, Page 2

MUMMY WHEAT

LIMIT OF VIABILITY NO KIND OF LIFE IN KING TAUENKHAMEN’S TOMB From time to time, we read o4| claims that wheat grains and other seeds recovered from ancient tombs have been planted, and, in spite of great antiquity, have grown to produce fine-healthy plants, said Mr H. J. Bunker in a BBC overseas broadcast. These stories are usually put out in perfectly good faith. A few years ago an Englishman of unimpeachable honesty brought home from Egypt some seeds which were undoubtedly genuine; it was quite certain that they were several thousands of years old. The gentleman had these seeds planted in his garden, and to the amazement of those “in the know” they produced a very fine crop of plants, indistinguishable from modern varieties. On further investigation, however, it was found that the gentleman’s gardener, thinking it most unlikely that the poor-looking seeds his master had brought home from Egypt would produce much of a show, had planted modern seeds alongside the old, in order, as he said, not to disappoint his master ! ! The deception was certainly well meant. Longest Seed Life 237 Years

Mummy grains and seeds taken from ancient Egyptian tombs and of undoubted authenticity have, from time to time,, been planted under strict scientific supervision, and it

can definitely be said that, whenever this has been done in no single in- . stance has any of this seed or - ' grain ever germinated. What, then, are the actual facts as regards the longevity of seeds? Naturally, it varies immensely with different types, and without going into great detail, I can give you two interesting cases cited by Dr. Ramsbottom, Keeper of the Botany Department at the British Museum of Natural History at South Kensington. As the result of air-raid damage to the herbarium of the museum in 1940, the seeds of some plants got damp, including a type of mimosa which had been brought home from China in 1793. In spite of their long sleep of 147 years in the herbarium, the seeds germinated. But this is not the record. A seed of the sacred lotus plant of the Nile (Nelumbium speciosum) was treated with concentrated sulphuric acid and then with water, and in a matter of a few hours it germinated, and is actually growing now at Kew Gardens. This specimen is known to have been collected 237 years ago. This is the longest period of seed viability of which we are absolutely certain. It is true, certain seeds of the same plant, taken from peat deposits in Manchuria were germinated, and these deposits were thought to be 300 to 400 years old. Nothing Surviving After 3000 Years Perhaps one of the most interesting tests which has been done on ibe length of life of seeds or spores was a little experiment when Tutankhamen’s tomb was discovered. It occurred to some of us that here we had a case of a tomb which had definitely not been opened for over 3000 years, so that we would have an opportunity of seeing whether bacterial spores (which are highly resistant) or indeed any other forms of life, had managed to survive 30 centuries of dormancy. So when the inner chamber of the tomb, embodying the golden shrines,round the royal sacrophagus sterile swabs which we had sent out from England were wiped on the walls and on various objects in the chamber. They were then sent home to us for bacteriological examination.

In every case the contents proved to be sterile. Indeed, the same applied to the various mould fungi and insects which were also found in the tomb: all were dead. The last

spark of life had gone out some time during those 3000 years. So the cold facts of science have shattered those two stories about mummy wheat and disease produc-

ing microbes living on in the tombs of the Pharoahs. It was Thomas Huxley who said: “A tragedy is a beautiful theory killed by a fact,” and unfortunately such tragedies have to happen every day in the world of science.