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I was very interested to read on various news websites today that a special ceremony has taken place in Scotland as part of the repatriation of aboriginal human remains. As I've probably mentioned before I hope to write a book set in Australia with a theme based around Aborigine dreamtime myths. A lot of museums have been debating both the sensitivity of displaying human remains and the returning of exhibits. National Museums Scotland held six skulls while Edinburgh Museum held an ear bone. As Dr Midas works in a museum this suggests a reason for his visiting the country, and from there I could work a plot involving a trip into the past. On Monday four members of the Ngarrindjeri in traditional dress took part in a 'smoking ceremony' where they burned eucalyptus leaves to cleanse the remains for their journey. National Museums of Scotland's website explains: "The six remains were given to National Museums Scotland in the 19th century by collectors, but as the museum collecting climate was different at that time, there is little information on the remains apart from the country they came from. "The remains will initially be returned to the National Museum of Australia, but in light of the limited information on them, the Australian Government intends to work with the National Museum of Australia and the indigenous communities to carry out further research to determine the origin of the remains." National Museums Scotland has also agreed to repatriate a Tasmanian skull to the Australian Government. They will also return four Maori skulls and two mandibles to the National Museum of New Zealand Te Papa and four tattooed Maori heads already on long-term loan there. Dr John Scally, Directo, University of Edinburgh Collections, said: "We are very happy that through returning these remains we are able to build a new relationship with the indigenous people of Australia."

Some of the last known Tasmanian Tigers My Dr Midas books often include endangered or extinct animal characters, so I was very interested to hear about a new DNA experiment involving the Tasmanian Tiger. I wish there was a way to bring this and other animals back to life - with a time machine perhaps (lol) - but at least this new study gives an insight into their make-up. Australian scientists have taken genetic material from a 100-year-old museum specimen and put it into a mouse embryo to see how it works. Dr Andrew Pask, of the Department of Zoology, said it was the first time that DNA from an extinct species had been used to carry out a function in a living organism. "As more and more species of animals become extinct, we are continuing to lose critical knowledge of gene function and its potential," he said. "This research was developed to examine extinct gene function in a whole organism." The Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacine) was hunted to extinction in the wild at the start of the last century with the last known Hobart Zoo in 1936, but several museums around the world still hold tissue samples preserved in alcohol. The University of Melbourne team extracted DNA from some of these specimens, and injected a gene involved in cartilage formation into developing mouse embryos. Blue dye then showed were the DNA was working. Prof Rawson, is involved in the Frozen Ark, a global project to preserve genetic information from threatened species. Some scientists hope mammoths will be next to be examined. Prof Rawson said: "To go back to animals and plants that went extinct thousands of years ago, there is less chance to get a sizeable portion of DNA to unravel it," he explained. "But modern techniques are developing all the time - we can now get information from material we once thought was impossible." Guess what I'm reading now Reading about the Tasmanian Tiger has also prompted me to read a book that's been on my shelf a while. 'Stripes of the Sidestep Wolf' by Australian Sonya Hartnett. The story follows Satchel O'Rye and Chelsea Piper, who find their own survival becomes inextricably intwined with that of an animal they believe to be the last-ever Tasmanian Tiger. Sonya was the Christopher Paolini (teenage author of Eragon) of her day, she wrote her first book, Trouble All the Way, at thirteen and it was published when she was just fifteen. She has written a number of books for young adults since then and has won many awards including the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

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SHOW NOTES:

This episode marks the 2nd year anniversary of The Book of Life! In this show, we celebrate the holiday of Hanukkah.

> Illustrator Ann Koffsky describes her snowflake "Jerusalem of Peace," created for Robert's Snow for Cancer's Cure. We also learn about her illustrations for My Cousin Tamar Lives in Israel by Michelle Shapiro Abraham, and her new Joyfully Jewish 2008 calendar.

> Author Sarah Marwil Lamstein and illustrator Neil Waldman discuss their picture book Letter on the Wind: A Chanukah Tale.

> Kenny Ellis, cantor and performer, riffs on his CD Hanukkah Swings! You can also check out Kenny's MySpace page, and download "Swingin' Dreidel" as a ringtone.

> Author Barbara Bietz talks about her chapter book Like a Maccabee, as well as her kidlit blog and her new position on the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, where she'll help choose the best Judaic children's books of the year.

NEWS:

Here is a special Hanukkah treat for you: a complete online version of the holiday classic, Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric A. Kimmel, provided by Lookybook. To hear from Eric himself about the inspiration for Hershel, you can read this post from my Library Blogathon or you can listen to the very first episode of The Book of Life from December 2005, when Eric was a featured guest. Enjoy!