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Research questions are the building block of our platform of scientific inquiry. Key questions are the ones at the heart of a mystery; every other question helps answer one of them.

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Franklin expedition (HMS Erebus and HMS Terror)
Franklin expedition (HMS Erebus and HMS Terror)2 key questions · 5 questions · 0 answered
Open the mystery
QuestionWhere it stands
KeyWhat did the survivors do after leaving the ships in April 1848?
Most likelySome men returned to the ships, and one or both were sailed or drifted south with men aboard
How widespread was cannibalism in the last stage of the retreat?
Most likelyIt occurred among the last survivors at a few sites, such as Erebus Bay
When and how did Erebus and Terror sink?
Open3 answers, none ahead
Who are the dead on King William Island?
Most likelyMost can be identified by matching archaeological DNA to descendants traced by genealogy
KeyWhy did 24 of 129 men die aboard Erebus and Terror before April 1848, when other Arctic expeditions lost few?
Most likelyScurvy and malnutrition, as the provisions lost their value, killed or weakened the crews