Lasers on a thumbnail reveal Franklin expedition diet, cause of death
New research has shed more light on one of Canada’s enduring mysteries — the fate of the Franklin expedition.
Scientists used lasers and high-energy beams from the Canadian Light Source in Saskatoon to illuminate the last few months of the doomed 19th-century British voyage to the Northwest Passage.
The study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, firms up earlier conclusions that the Franklin’s 129 crew members didn’t die of lead poisoning from canned food. It also suggests the expedition was running low on supplies long before its ships became stranded in ice — all from the careful examination of a thumbnail.
“This is kind of like a Canadian myth,” said co-author Laurie Chan. “I get excited at the opportunity to work on it and talk about it.”