While looking through her dead ex-boyfriend's van, a Brooklyn woman found some odd items. According to the Daily News, "Gary Louisa, who died last year of cancer at age 51, had hidden Ground Zero dust, a piece of a steel beam and bone fragments under the ragged driver's seat of his 1989 Ford Econoline van, cops said. The city medical examiner determined Monday that the bone chips were not human, but more tests were being done on a ziplock bag full of dust." Rosa Cerrato, who was cleaning out the van so it could be donated, was relieved the bones were not human, "Thank God it's not somebody's relative." more ›

Some people have interesting hobbies. Take Christy Rupp, for example—the Chelsea-based artist collected enough chicken bones to recreate skeletons of extinct birds (which she researched at the American Museum of Natural History)... some of them are even life-sized! Today the Daily News looks at her unusual craft, some examples of which are on display at the Museum of Arts and Design's show "Dead or Alive." Rupp talked about her bone collecting habits with the paper, saying, "I started asking friends, which got awkward... 'Can I have that carcass?'" Check out her work here—what do you think, less or more creepy than making animals from animal parts found in Chinatown? more ›

[UPDATE BELOW]: Investigators searching for the remains of a Baruch College student who disappeared 12 years ago uncovered bones in the basement of a Queens store. Law enforcement officials haven't yet linked the bones to 28-year-old undergraduate student Kristina Kupka, who vanished after her married chemistry professor got her pregnant. According to the Post, an anthropologist and the Medical Examiner's Office are studying the bones to see if they are human. If the remains are human, authorities will conduct further tests to determine if they can be linked to Kupka. more ›

Around 106 million people watched the Super Bowl last night, and it's a fair bet that a majority of those 106 million people drank a beer or two. But did you know that all those beer aficionados were actually strengthening their bones?? A new study by the Department of Food Science & Technology at the University of California has found evidence that suggests that beer is a significant source of dietary silicon, a key ingredient for increasing bone mineral density. "Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon," said Charles Bamforth, lead author of the study. So beer might be the new wine? Either way, it beats soda, which is probably giving you pancreatic cancer, fyi. more ›

If you like your relics served up with an extra dose of creepy, have we got the exhibit for you! One-man traveling sideshow, Father Thomas Michelet, is bringing the bones of St. Mary Magdalene to the Big Apple. Oh the things her bones will see! Can't you just picture those two out on the town, snapping photos and seeing the sights? Hopefully there will be time for a Broadway show. more ›

A 5'1" Long Island man is in the midst of a four month long medical procedure which, come May, will leave him four inches taller—and his insurance company is paying for it! 20-year-old cancer survivor Lenny Roth is getting the limb-lengthening procedure performed on his legs by orthopedist Dr. Robert Rozbruch, who made cuts midway in each of his thigh bones in February and anchored two rods to each leg. Every day Roth turns external nuts that make the rods lengthen 1 millimeter. (Then he takes lots of Percocet.) It's called the Ilizarov Method, and it was developed during WWII by a Siberian doctor who wanted to help injured veterans. According to Newsday, thousands of people get the procedure done every year; it normally costs up to $100,000, but Roth's insurance company is picking up the tab because it's also going to correct his bow legs. When he's finally done turning the nuts, the University of Connecticut accounting major expects to be 5'5", and no longer "the shortest person I know." more ›

The daughter of Alistair Cooke testified against a man accused of taking the late broadcaster's body to be harvested for organs and bones. The Rev. Susan Cooke Kittredge said her father "would have been against" donating his body to others, "He didn't like the idea of being cut up." more ›

The search for a missing NJ woman led the police to a pond in the Charleston section of Staten Island, where a suitcase of bones were found. The bones are undergoing DNA testing to see if it's a match for Amy Giordano, who vanished last June. more ›

In the course of conducting soil testing during the renovation of Washington Square Park, archaeologists discovered the skeletal remains of four people. Some adjustments will be made to redesign plans, but the skeletons will be left in place as a gesture of respect for the dead. more ›