Bones

Bones

The pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

Strange skeleton discovery could rewrite our history of the pyramids

Subtle markings on skeletons have thrown into question what we previously believed about who was buried in pyramids
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Human skeletons standing all angles

How many bones are in the human body?

The human skeleton is like a jigsaw puzzle of bones that support our body, allow us to move, protect our organs and generally help keep us alive.
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Instant Genius

Forensic anthropology, with Prof Sue Black

Forensic scientist Prof Sue Black joins us on these episodes of our podcasts Instant Genius and Instant Genius Extra.
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How a forensic anthropologist would identify your body

Forensic anthropologist Prof Dame Sue Black talks to Amy Barrett about what it’s like to dissect a human body, how a single bone can tell a whole story, and the ways in which we can identify perpetrators from the backs of their hands.
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Sue Black on the Science Focus Podcast © Getty Images

What stories do our skeletons tell?

Professor Sue Black reveals how forensic anthropologists search for the criminal secrets that are etched on the bones of victims.
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Six mind-blowing things we learned about bones from forensic anthropologist Prof Sue Black ©Getty

Six incredible things we learned about bones from forensic anthropologist Prof Sue Black

In a recent episode of our podcast with Prof Sue Black, we discussed what it’s like to dissect a human body, how a single bone can tell a whole story, and what makes the skeleton so important.
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Sue Black reveals the secrets stored in our bones © Getty Images

Sue Black reveals the secrets stored in our bones

Read the full transcript of our Science Focus Podcast interview with Sue Black on the human skeleton – listen to the full episode at the bottom of the page.
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Dinosaur sex differences 'hard to spot' from fossils alone © Mark Witton

Dinosaur sex differences 'hard to spot' from fossils alone

The scientists say their work also challenges previous research that suggested male Tyrannosaurus rex were smaller than females.
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New analysis of Broken Hill skull raises human ancestry questions (The Trustees of the Natural History Museum)

New analysis of Broken Hill skull raises human ancestry questions

The specimen is believed to be aged between 274,000 and 324,000 years, much younger than the 500,000 previously thought.
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The Bone Wars: how a bitter rivalry drove progress in palaeontology © Frederick Gutekunst (Public domain)

How a bitter rivalry drove progress in palaeontology

In this extract from The Secret Life of Bones, Brian Switek (pen name of science writer and fossil fanatic Riley Black) explains how Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope's rivalry brought us the Triceratops.
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Shanidar skeleton discovery sheds light on neanderthal burial rites (The ribs and spine of the Neanderthal emerging from the sediment in Shanidar Cave © Graeme Barker Cambridge University/PA)

Shanidar skeleton discovery sheds light on Neanderthal 'flower burial'

Pollen found around 70,000-year-old remains reopens the debate as to whether ancient humans buried their dead.
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Brian Switek: How did bones evolve? © Getty Images

How did bones evolve?

Fossil fanatic Brian Switek explains what a bone actually is, and why they are so important in human history.
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Micro implants could restore walking in spinal injury patients © Getty Images

Micro implants could restore walking in spinal injury patients

The implants could potentially include a direct connection to the brain.
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Babies from ancient Ecuador found wearing the skulls of other children as helmets © Sara Juengst & Richard Lunniss

Babies from ancient Ecuador found wearing the skulls of other children as helmets

We need to interpret the finding in the context of the culture of the time, the researchers say.
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Journey underneath the skin with these amazing pictures from the new book Anatomicum

Journey underneath the skin with amazing illustrations from the new book Anatomicum

In the new book from the Wellcome Collection, curators Dr Jennifer Z Paxton and Katy Wiedemann take the reader on a journey around the human body.
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Salamander-like cartilage regrowth sheds light why hip and knee injuries take longer to heal © Getty Images

Salamander-like cartilage regrowth sheds light on why hip and knee injuries take longer to heal

Cartilage in human joints can repair itself through a process similar to that used by salamanders and zebrafish to regenerate limbs, researchers say.
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Arthritis drug could ease symptoms of blood cancer © Getty Images

Low-cost arthritis drug 'significantly reduces' symptoms of blood cancers

A simple arthritis drug could be an effective and low-cost solution in treating patients with blood cancer.
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Bone (yellow), cartilage (blue) and marrow (red) are all present in a single stem cell derived from a human skeleton © Chan and Longaker et al

Newly identified stem cells could regrow bones

It may be possible to uncover the mechanisms that underlie tissue growth and regeneration.
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Why can't bones grow back? © Getty Images

Why can't bones grow back?

Unfortunately, without the magical Skele-gro us muggles are unable to regrow whole limbs. However, the potential is there in every one of our cells.
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