Thursday, December 15, 2005

Some stories never get old...

...especially if you haven't heard them before. The story of a king finally gets told some 2000 years later thanks to the amazing discovery of an ancient Mayan mural dating back to 100 B.C. Click on the image below, courtesy of National Geographic, for more info...

Photo: Maya mural of San Bartolo

Also, interestingly, the "Body Worlds" exhibit which was in Chicago earlier this year, has started stirring up controvery in Florida, and now in New York. The bodies are from Chinese prisoners and unidentified bodies that no one claimed. The issue is that the people whose bodies are being used never gave any informed consent to donate their bodies to science or for such an exhibit.

Back in July, I expressed my own concerns about the commercialization and public display of the bodies. The organizers of the display state that they obtained the bodies legally from the Chinese government. The exhibit has attracted record audiences and as a result, the museums don't seem to be saying much at all about the ethics of the situation. Guess money talks loud enough for them...

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