The H Word blog’s Halloween special looks at the displayed bodily remains of six scientific savants - from the intruiging to the odd, via the frankly ghoulishAdmirers of science usually like to think that they’re above the talismanic, fetishist practices they’d associate with superstition, magic and religion. Yet, as was discussed recently at a seminar on Savant Relics, there are a surprising number of objects and bodily remains of scientific individual that have been preserved and are, often, treated with the kind of ritual and endowed with the kind of aura that is elsewhere reserved for saints.They are distinctly odd things through which to celebrate the memories of individuals admired for their scientific work: too corporeal for transcendent genius and too wrapped in mystique for sceptical science. While in some cases there was a scientific or medical motivation, it being hoped that something might be learned from an examination of the remains of someone remarkable, others are simply relics. And like religious relics they often play a role in ceremony, endow a place with symbolic significance or form an object of pilgrimage. They are also rather gruesome: be warned... Continue reading...

Nasa’s Cassini spacecraft captures images of Saturn moon’s underground ocean. The spacecraft’s close flyby of icy moon Enceladus reveals more about the deep saltwater ocean hidden inside the planet which was discovered last year by researchers. The images show the pale, grooved and cratered surface of the moon, and several bright streaks of vapour plumes erupting from its south pole. Photograph: AP Continue reading...

Spiritualism fascinated the 19th century public and was furiously debunked by scientists. But its modern, “scientific”, incarnations are just as sinisterIn the run up to Halloween , many of us are open to a frightening supernatural adventure. A good scare can be a bonding experience, and in this spirit many of us have dabbled with Ouija boards, either in earnest or jest - perhaps even getting slightly phased by the apparent disembodied messages, sometimes surreal and foreboding, emanating from the board. While there is no evidence that we can truly communicate with the dead, phenomena like the Ouija board and automatic writing can truly give us a fascinating insight into our own psychology, and serve as a reminder that we can all too easily fool ourselves.Our fascination with words from beyond the grave is nothing new. In the mid- 19 century, the growing spiritualist movement had begun to experiment with ghostly messages transcribed by table-turning, a precursor to the modern Ouija board. In table turning, the alphabet was inscribed on a table, upon which all participants laid their hands. Seemingly ethereal whisperings would soon appear from the void as the table tilted towards the imprinted letters. Such demonstrations of spiritualism convinced many in high society that a new force, perhaps a mystical one, was behind the haunting messages. Continue reading...

From tracking cows and Peruvian asparagus to monitoring harmful algae blooms, satellites offer the food industry valuable informationThe first successful weather satellite, TIROS-1, was launched in 1960. The images, though a bit blurry, picked up a typhoon 1,000 miles east of Australia. This satellite only lasted 78 days in orbit but it showed the benefits of space observations, ushering in an era of much more accurate weather information that has helped save lives and protect livelihoods.Today there are more than 200 non-military operational satellites looking at the Earth and agriculture is a key beneficiary of the boom in this technology. As innovation drives down the cost of getting a satellite into orbit, and more data becomes available, increasing numbers of farmers are set to benefit. Continue reading...

A pioneering project to cure children crippled by fluoride poisoning holds hope for tens of millions of peopleRelated: 11 views on improving water supplyFor years the people of Tapatjuri, a remote village in northeast India, thought evil spirits were tormenting them. It was the only way they could explain why hundreds of people in their community were crippled, with bones bent so badly out of shape that many could not wash, eat, or leave their houses without help.

Thanks to our pronunciation rules, when you do algebra on the alphabet, everything reduces to 1Many words in English are homophones. That is, they are pronounced the same but are spelt differently.For example AISLE and ISLE Continue reading...

On Thursday, Kelly will break the US record for longest single space flight. He and twin Mark are also part of a unique study on the effects of space on the bodyThe commander of the International Space Station will break the record for the longest single flight by a US astronaut on Thursday by clocking up 216 days in orbit.Scott Kelly, who performed his debut spacewalk on Wednesday, will surpass the previous record of 215 days set by the Spanish-American astronaut Michael López-Alegría in 2007.

In the next week, our planet will experience one near miss and one impact. What else is heading our way?Every day, Earth is hit by something from space. It is a sobering thought that we live on the celestial equivalent of a dartboard, especially since we are taught that the dinosaurs were wiped out by the impact of a giant asteroid 65m years ago.Astronomers at the European Space Agency’s Near Earth Object Coordination Centre (NEOCC), in Frascati, Italy, place objects that show even the slightest hint of striking our planet in the next century on a risk list, which currently contains 524 objects. Continue reading...

Electric eels curl up to amplify their shocks when tackling large preyThe electric eel boasts what must surely be one of the most sophisticated and versatile weapon systems in the whole animal kingdom. This large Amazonian fish is well known for its ability to discharge pulses of electricity that are powerful enough to incapacitate a human, or even a horse. But its electric organ also acts as a tracking system, enabling the eel to locate fast-moving prey rapidly and precisely, and as a wireless Taser, with which it can stun prey and control their movements from a distance.Research published today in the journal Current Biology reveals yet another of the electric organ’s remarkable features. When struggling to capture large prey, the electric eel curls its long, flexible body to bring its tail round towards its head. This simple manoeuvre not only traps the prey, but also superimposes the electrical fields generated by the opposite ends of the eel’s body, concentrating the fields and doubling their strength so that the eel can subdue its unruly victim. Continue reading...

Charities hit back at Oxford University research on benefits of exercise and behaviour therapy, claiming they can worsen symptomsPeople with chronic fatigue syndrome and ME have criticised the findings of an Oxford University study that suggests gradual exercise could help with their condition – which leading charities say could worsen symptoms.Researchers found graded exercise therapy (GET) and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) had a marked effect on symptoms such as extreme tiredness, joint aches and memory lapses. Continue reading...

After the Apollo missions, Richard Nixon donated 270 moon rocks to the world. Now, only 180 are accounted for – the rest are missing. There’s a market in fakes, plus an undercover operation called Lunar Eclipse to track down the forgers. Photographer Annabel Elgar has trooped all over the world to track down the remaining rocks for her series Cheating the Moon. But which are real and which are fakes? Continue reading...

Doing energetic dance routines together makes people feel more connected and raises their pain threshold, psychologists have foundPsychologists in Oxford may have unravelled the mysterious appeal of Gangnam Style, the Macarena, and the Village People’s YMCA, all in one fell swoop.The dance crazes rose to prominence in three separate decades, but all require an unwavering dedication to synchronised movement and exertion that seems natural only to wedding reception DJs.