A controversial German scientist who preserves human corpses and puts them on show to the public has defended his latest exhibition.

Gunther von Hagens, whose Body Worlds And The Mirror OfTime exhibition is on show at London’s O2 Arena insists he is presenting a "health message".

The show features a total of 200 cadavers from babies to the elderly which have been arranged in lifelike poses and preserved using Dr von Hagens’ controversial "plastination" technique.

This involves peeling the skin back to reveal the inner organs, arteries and muscles and encasing it all in plastic.

Dr Von Hagens said: "This exhibition is all about the cycle of life, from the spark of conception, to the development of a mature body, and it goes through to elderly people.

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Pop star Britney Spears has turned the tables on the paparazzi by posting videos mocking them on her website.

Each week, the singer aims to post a clip of a photographer making a fool of him or herself. They then become winner of that week’s "paparazzie" award.

Spears, 26, who last year suffered a public breakdown, is often followed by the paparazzi.

The star has a new album out in December as well as a planned appearance on ITV1’s X Factor.

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Many brands of popular cod liver oil and omega 3 supplements do not contain what they say on the label, UK testing claims.

Fish oil capsules are one of the UK’s most popular nutritional supplements.

But the results have been rejected by some of the company’s named in the report.

Scientists from whatsinit.com tested 27 brands of the widely sold supplements – and found fewer than half met trading standards guidelines.

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An American farmer got a nasty surprise this week when he found his horse Gracie with her head stuck in a tree trunk.

Jason Harschbarger, from Pullman, West Virginia, heard his horse winnying on the hill next to his house, only to discover the silly filly had lodged her head into a tree cavity.

Luckily the young horse managed to escape her ordeal with just a few minor injuries.

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Modern science has led to a breakthrough in a notorious unsolved murder committed 62 years ago.

Scientists have managed to obtain a DNA profile of the killer of 12-year-old Muriel Drinkwater, who was attacked as she walked home from school in Penllergaer, Swansea, in June 1946.

She was subsequently raped, shot and dumped in woodland.

Dr Colin Dark, from the Forensic Science Service, said he was able to obtain a DNA profile of the killer after picking up a vital clue from the case files.

It is now hoped the crime can be solved – even if the killer is dead – by matching the profile with a male relative.

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It’s already been established that red wine is healthy.

But a new study says that white wine is just as good for you.

Rats given a tipple of Italian white wine with their meals suffered less heart attack damage than animals allowed only water or raw grain alcohol.

The benefits were similar to those seen in animals fed red wine, or its “wonder” grape-skin ingredient, resveratrol.

Red wine, and resveratrol, have often been cited as the cause of the “French paradox” – the fact that French people have low rates of heart disease despite eating a lot of fat.

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There has been an alarming rise in the number of diabetes cases in the UK – prompting a stark warning from health experts.

The number of people suffering from the condition rose by 167,000 since last year, bringing the total number to 2.5 million.

Diabetes UK chief executive Douglas Smallwood described the figures as “truly alarming”.

“The NHS already spends one million pounds an hour on diabetes,” he explained.

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Many parents overlook their child’s unhealthy weight because they believe it is normal, research suggests.

Data on 2,100 Australian children found 40% of parents with an overweight or underweight child had not spotted this.

Among children, the underweight were more likely to think of themselves as average than the overweight.

The University of Melbourne researchers said parents would not act to help their children gain or lose weight if they did not see the problem.

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A hero cop has retired from the force having cleaned up his area of the capital of dirty rats for over a decade.

After taking charge of Vermin Control at Snow Hill police station in London, Reagan the cat has finally left his post.

The much-loved 11-year-old, London’s last remaining station cat, has been honoured by his peers for his “purrfessionalism” above and beyond the call of duty.

Pure white, short-haired Reagan was hired by the force in 1997 aged only eight months, along with a fellow feline, Carter, to tackle an infestation of mice and rats at the division’s headquarters.

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A basic ingredient in jam and jelly could help prevent the spread of cancer, scientists have found.

Pectin, a natural fibre found in fruit and vegetables, is widely used as a gelling agent in processed foods.

Research has shown that under the right conditions it releases a molecular fragment with anti-cancer properties.
jam

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