Do mummies have a right to privacy? David Dobbs tackles the issue of ancient remains - it's certainly topical in California, where the culturally untouchable native American demographic insists even remains 10,000 years old belong to their tribe, a progressive fissure that puts an icy chill on science, but also relevant in other cultures.
He interviewed Howard Markel, a medical historian at the University of Michigan who discussed the ethical issues of the publication of the DNA analysis of King Tut's remains in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Markel feels there are limits - clearly the Egyptian king did not want to be exhumed and studied - but that in some cases the benefits outweigh the complications. Read the interview here.
