The science secrets from a boy king's tomb

A hundred years ago, the world was a troubled place. The First World War had barely ended, and talk of severe war reparations was in the air. Separately, wave upon wave of the 1918 influenza epidemic had wracked many countries for more than two years, and killed an estimated 100 million people. Nearer home, the struggle for Indian Independence was entering a key phase. Weary humans everywhere were in desperate need of a feel-good distraction from the tragedy and toil of everyday life. Just such a diversion was provided by a scientific expedition in Egypt, led by British archaeologist Howard Carter, which culminated in 1922 in the discovery of the intact tomb of King Tutankhamun, the ancient Egyptian pharaoh who was worshipped in his time (circa 14th century BCE) as a god.