Turi King: Solving the mystery of Richard III through DNA

Discovery

BBC

Science, Technology

4.3 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 4 November 2019

⏱️ 28 minutes

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Summary

When a skeleton was unearthed in 2012 from under the tarmac of a car park in Leicester in the English East Midlands, Turi King needed to gather irrefutable evidence to prove that this really was the body of Richard III, England's infamous medieval monarch. Under the microscope was not only the king's genetic identity, but his entire reputation. Was Richard a ruthless villain, as depicted by Shakespeare? Or did the incoming Tudors spread 'fake news' to besmirch his name? As presenter Jim al-Khalili discovers, clues in his skeletal remains have helped to solve some of these mysteries, and reveal the real Richard III. When she was young, Turi King wanted to be the next Indiana Jones. Her love of archaeology led her to study genetics so she could use ancient DNA to solve historic mysteries. She tells Jim how genetic testing, of both the dead skeleton and his living relatives, provided the vital evidence they needed to identify Richard III. But first, she had to extract his DNA, by pulling out one of his teeth. Main Image: Turi King Credit: Jonathan Sisson

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're about to listen to a BBC podcast and trust me you'll get there in a moment but if you're a comedy fan
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0:29.8	satire to silly, shocking to soothing, profound to just general pratting about.
0:35.0	So if you fancy a laugh, find your next comedy at BBC Sounds.
0:40.0	This is Discovery from the BBC. I'm Jim El Killelli and in today's program I'm in conversation with a leading scientist about their life and research. Welcome to the life scientific.
0:52.0	If I asked you what you might expect to find... Welcome to the Life Scientific.
0:52.6	If I asked you what you might expect to find under the tarmac of a social services car park,
0:58.2	the last thing you'd probably say is Richard the third.
1:01.5	My guest today is the scientist whose job it was to prove that the 500-year-old skeleton unearthed
1:06.5	in Leicester was indeed the infamous medieval king killed the Battle of Bosworth.
1:12.1	The tale unfolded into a dramatic detective story involving
1:15.0	ancient DNA, hidden family secrets and a huge media storm that thrust her into the global spotlight.
1:22.0	At a young age, Chury King fell in love with
1:24.2	archaeology and set her sights on becoming the next Indiana Jones. But after
1:28.5	getting her hands dirty on digs, she ended up inside the cleanroom, becoming the go-to geneticist to solve
1:34.8	historical mysteries. Currently reader and genetics and archaeology and professor of
1:39.2	public engagement at the University of Leicester, Dura King, welcome to the Life Scientific.
	...

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