A subsequent study explained that the fungus can remain dormant for hundreds of years without losing the ability to infect. That event 50 years ago saw 10 of the 12 visitors to the tomb of King Casimir IV (originally sealed in the 15 th century) die over the course of the next few months.Īn investigation into the site by a microbiologist unearthed Aspergillus flavus in the tomb, a fungus that can enter the lungs and harm the immune system before potentially spreading throughout the body.

Then came a 1973 incident in Poland, and that’s the one that really showed off the fungus at play.

Of course-as Big Think points out-the data may not fully support a massive die-off of visitors, but there’s still enough reason to believe that entering King Tut’s tomb wasn’t the best thing for a person’s health. A Monash University professor claimed there was an increase in deaths for those who entered the tomb as opposed to those who didn’t, prompting the rise of the mummy’s curse claim. After opening the sealed Egyptian tomb 100 years ago, some people who visited the site started dying. The mummy’s curse concept was kicked off by the excavation of the tomb of King Tut. An improper viewing event could lead to additional fungal exposure. The latest fungal scare came this year in Mexico City, when The Mummies of Guanajuato again went on a traveling display, with experts concerned the mummies weren’t properly sealed off from the viewing public.

Curse of titans