Scientists plan to exhume the body of an English aristocrat in hopes of digging up a breakthrough in the struggle to stanch the spread of avian influenza, or bird flu, according to a story in London’s Telegraph.
A team of scientists from St. Bartholomew’s and the London Royal Hospital led by virologist John Oxford will exhume the body of Sir Mark Sykes, who died of the Spanish flu in 1919. They believe Sykes’ body, which was buried in a lead coffin, could provide “a genetic footprint” of the Spanish flu virus in its final throes and ultimately unearth clues about the spread of modern-day bird flu.
The body will be examined in an airtight laboratory to prevent any chance of contamination, according to the report. More about Sykes and how he contracted the flu can be found online. Video of a BBC feature on the project is also availabe.
Jolie Breeden is the lead editor and science communicator for Natural Hazards Center publications. She writes and edits for Research Counts; the Quick Response, Mitigation Matters, Public Health, and Weather Ready Research Award report series; as well as for special projects and publications. Breeden graduated summa cum laude from the University of Colorado Boulder with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.