http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2013/05/24/an_indian_lake_surrounded_by_hundreds_of_ancient_skeletons_the_surprise.html

From Slate:

Skeleton Lake of Roopkund, India. The Surprise Is What Killed Them …

By Atlas Obscura | Posted Friday, May 24, 2013, at 7:30 AM

"In 1942 a British forest guard in Roopkund, India, made an alarming discovery. More than three miles above sea level, he stumbled across a frozen lake surrounded by hundreds of human skeletons. That summer, the melting ice revealed even more remains, floating in the water and lying haphazardly around the lake's edges. 

Since this was the height of World War II, there were fears that the skeletons might belong to Japanese soldiers who had died of exposure while sneaking through India. The British government, terrified of a Japanese land invasion, sent a team of investigators to determine whether this was true. Upon examination they realized these bones weren't Japanese soldiers at all, but of a much much older vintage. But what killed them? Many theories were put forth, including an epidemic, landslide, and ritual suicide. For six decades, no one was able to shed light on the mystery of "Skeleton Lake."

In 2004 a scientific expedition offered the first plausible explanation of the mysterious deaths. The answer was stranger than anyone had guessed...."

The County Medical Examiners from The Weirdest Band in the World

http://weirdestbandintheworld.com/2012/10/10/weird-band-of-the-week-the-county-medical-examiners/



The whole site, "The Weirdest Band in the World," is worthy of exploration.

This particular goregrind (defined as "...basically grindcore with lyrics entirely about death, decay, dismemberment, surgical procedures and pretty much anything having to do with terrible things happening to people’s tender insides") group, the County Medical Examiners, is made up of 3 men who actually *ARE* county medical examiners. 

Also, the web site says their CD Olidous Operettas "came in a biohazard bag and smelled like rotting corpse meat. Bet the other goregrind bands wish they’d thought of that." 

What Does This Head From the Thirteenth Century Tell Us About Medieval Medicine?

From the Smithsonian:


March 6, 2013 12:45 pm

What Does This Head From the Thirteenth Century Tell Us About Medieval Medicine?


http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/2013/03/what-does-this-head-from-the-thirteenth-century-tell-us-about-medieval-medicine/



"...The preparation of the specimen was surprisingly advanced. Radiocarbon dating puts the age of the body between A.D. 1200 and A.D.1280, an era once considered part of Europe’s anti-scientific “Dark Ages.” In fact, said study researcher Philippe Charlier, a physician and forensic scientist at University Hospital R. Poincare in France, the new specimen suggests surprising anatomical expertise during this time period..."

Double yikes. Also from HuffPo. "Thai man marries dead girlfriend." (Video).

http://videos.huffingtonpost.com/thai-man-marries-dead-girlfriend-517249636

Yikes. From Huffington:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/14/dead-man-woke-up-zimbabwe-funeral_n_3275151.html?hpweird=y

Mourners at a recent funeral in Zimbabwe were caught by surprise when the guest of honor sat up in his coffin.

According to local reports, 34-year-old Brighton Dama Zanthe, the seemingly dead man, woke up last week while friends and family prepared to pay their respects at his home in Gweru.

"I was the first to notice Mr. Zanthe’s moving legs as I was in the queue to view his body. At first I could not believe my eyes but later realized that there was indeed some movements on the body as other mourners retreated in disbelief," Lot Gaka, one of the mourners and Zanthe's employer, told The Herald.

Fortunately, Zanthe woke up just in time; his body was set to be transported to a funeral parlor later that day. After Zanthe "resurrected" he was taken to a local hospital, where he remained on life support for two days before eventually being released.

Bodies springing back to life is, perhaps surprisingly, not an uncommon occurrence in Zimbabwe. Earlier this year, a woman, who was believed to have collapsed and died during sex, woke up screaming after she was placed into a coffin.

In another "resurrection" in 2012, a Zimbabwe woman, suspected of being possessed, was rushed to a hospital after she stabbed herself and was allegedly declared dead, the Chronicle reports. However, she did not stay "dead" for long, as she "rose" shortly after.