Young Japanese Women Rent Out Their Bare Legs as Advertising Space

A good way to make sure your advertisement gets plenty of exposure is to place it where a lot of people are looking. With this important marketing rule in mind, one Japanese advertising service is offering brands a novel way to raise awareness to their business – placing advertising stickers on the bare thighs of young girls.

We’ve featured some pretty bizarre advertising techniques here, on Oddity Central. We’ve had people renting out their last names to the highest bidder, tattooing brand names on their faces, and even using animals as living billboards, But so far, women’s legs have been off limits. Well, not anymore; Japanese PR company Absolute Territory PR has begun paying young women to wear advertising stickers on their “absolute territory” – the part of their thighs between the edge of their miniskirts and their high socks. Apparently this area of the female thigh is very popular with Japanese men, as evidenced by the fact that it even has its own Facebook page. You’d think such a daring way of advertising would be frowned upon by most girls, but as of November of last year, over 1,300 girls had applied for the agency’s service, and their number is growing fast.

Girls interested in having their thighs registered with Absolute Territory must be at least 18 years old, and also have a social media account connected to at least 20 other people. After choosing a sticker ad, they have to wear it for at least eight hours a day, or more, for a set period of time, in order to meet the conditions of the contract and receive payment. Once the ad is stamped on their thighs, they can get on with their daily lives, while wearing revealing skirts as often as possible and showing off their legs. Of course, not being a hikikomori helps a lot, as staying in isolation kind of beats the whole purpose. In fact, to prove they are actively going out and promoting their thigh ads, girls have to post photos of themselves wearing the stickers on their Facebook, Twitter or other social media accounts.

According to recent reports, Japanese businesses aren’t the only ones using the unique service to have a leg up on the competition. Rock band Green Bay have employed Absolutr Territory to promote the Japanese release of their new CD “!Uno!”.

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Facebook hacked, says no user data compromised

Facebook says it was recently hacked, though it says no data about its more than a billion users was compromised.

The company described the "sophisticated attack" in a blog post on Friday, saying it took place in January when a small number of employees visited a compromised website that installed malware on their machines.

"As soon as we discovered the presence of the malware, we remediated all infected machines, informed law enforcement and began a significant investigation that continues to this day," Facebook Security said in the post.

Facebook, the largest social network in the world, is the latest high-profile site to be hacked this year. Twitter announced a similar intrusion earlier this month, and major news organizations including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post have also admitted to being hacked.

The news sites attributed the breaches to hackers working for the Chinese government, but neither Facebook nor Twitter mention China when describing their attacks.

"Facebook was not alone in this attack. It is clear that others were attacked and infiltrated recently as well," said the blog post. "As one of the first companies to discover this malware, we immediately took steps to start sharing details about the infiltration with the other companies and entities that were affected. "

Unlike Twitter, Facebook said it has found no evidence that any user information was compromised. Twitter said that user names, encrypted passwords and e-mail addresses for as many as 250,000 users were potentially grabbed by the hackers. It reset passwords for all affected accounts.

The string of hacks have primarily exploited vulnerabilities in the programming language Java, which is installed on most computers by default. Facebook said the site responsible for its attack took advantage of a previously unknown Java vulnerability, which Oracle patched on February 1.

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Mindy McCready, a Singer Long Troubled, Dies at 37

Her life was one of those aching odysseys sermonized redundantly across the musical landscape in which she performed. The rocket rise to stardom. The volcanic men. The depression. The drugs and booze. The brushes with the law. The heartache. The suicide attempts.

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John Bazemore/Associated Press

Mindy McCready in 1998.

Such were the tangled threads of the country music singer Mindy McCready, who could never seem to outrun life’s ill winds.

In an interview with The Associated Press three years ago, she summarized her stormy world as “a giant whirlwind of chaos all the time,” adding, “My entire life things have been attracted to me and vice versa that turn into chaotic nightmares or I create the chaos myself.”

On Sunday afternoon, the 37-year-old singer was found dead on the front porch of her house in Heber Springs, Ark., of what the police said appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Her death followed the most recent implosion of her personal life. Just last month, David Wilson, a music producer who was her boyfriend, was also found dead at their home from a gunshot wound. His death is still being investigated by the Cleburne County Sheriff’s Office. Ms. McCready had denied any involvement in it.

Earlier this month, her two young sons were removed by local authorities.

Long before the tumult and tragedy kicked in, she likened her narrative to a Cinderella story.

She was born Malinda Gayle McCready on Nov. 30, 1975, in Fort Myers, Fla. She began singing at her local church when she was 3, and took training for opera before gravitating to country music. As a teenager she would sing karaoke, favoring hits from the likes of Trisha Yearwood and Reba McEntire.

In 1994, she headed to Nashville, equipped with her karaoke tapes and a large reservoir of hope, and was soon signed to a recording contract. Within two years, she had her only No. 1 hit, a male chauvinism critique, “Guys Do It All the Time.” She said her kind of song was one where the women were equal to the men.

Her first album, “Ten Thousand Angels,” sold over two million copies. Soon she was singing at concerts alongside some of country’s megastars.

But dark clouds intervened and trailed her everywhere. In time, her record sales began to diminish as her personal struggles intensified.

She fought depression, and abused drugs and alcohol. In 2004, she was charged with fraudulently obtaining painkillers. In 2005, she was charged with drunken driving.

Her romantic life featured its own turmoil. In 2005, Billy McKnight, a fellow country singer with whom she would have a son, was charged with attempted murder after the police said he choked and beat her.

She served brief jail sentences in 2007 and 2008 for probation violations.

One more controversial episode was inserted in her résumé in 2008, when Roger Clemens came under investigation for using performance-enhancing drugs, and The Daily News reported that she had a romantic involvement with the pitcher starting when she was a teenager. He denied that they were anything more than friends.

Hounded by her demons, she tried to kill herself at least three times between 2005 and 2010.

In 2009, like some other troubled stars willing to allow the public to watch them repair themselves, she signed up to appear on the reality series “Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew.” On one episode, she suffered a seizure.

In the last few years, four other cast members from that series have also died.

In the aftermath of her appearance, she spoke of reigniting her career. She mentioned writing a book and creating a reality show with her brothers. Her fifth and final album was released in 2010, titled, “I’m Still Here.”

But soon she found herself embroiled in a custody battle with her mother and Mr. McKnight over her eldest son. She settled down with Mr. Wilson in the rural town of Heber Springs, and had a son with him last year.

After Mr. Wilson’s death, according to published reports, her father became troubled by her behavior and her drinking. A judge ordered her to undergo evaluation and treatment. Her sons were removed from her care.

She was found on Sunday next to Mr. Wilson’s dog, a Dogo Argentino, that authorities believe she shot before killing herself.

In addition to her children, Zander, 6, and Zayne, 10 months, she is survived by her mother, Gayle Inge; her father, Tim McCready; two brothers, Josh McCready and Tim Jr.; a half-brother, Sky Phelan; and her stepfather, Michael Inge.

On Monday, radio stations were playing her hits, and other country stars were expressing their profound sadness.

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Meteorite explodes over Russia, more than 1,000 injured

A meteorite streaked across the sky and exploded over central Russia on Friday, raining fireballs over a vast area and causing a shock wave that smashed windows, damaged buildings and injured 1,200 people.

People heading to work in Chelyabinsk heard what sounded like an explosion, saw a bright light and then felt the shock wave, according to a Reuters correspondent in the industrial city 1,500 km (950 miles) east of Moscow.

The fireball, travelling at a speed of 30 km (19 miles) per second according to Russian space agency Roscosmos, had blazed across the horizon, leaving a long white trail that could be seen as far as 200 km (125 miles) away.

Car alarms went off, thousands of windows shattered and mobile phone networks were disrupted. The Interior Ministry said the meteorite explosion, a very rare spectacle, also unleashed a sonic boom.

"I was driving to work, it was quite dark, but it suddenly became as bright as if it were day," said Viktor Prokofiev, 36, a resident of Yekaterinburg in the Urals Mountains.

"I felt like I was blinded by headlights."

The meteorite, which weighed about 10 metric tons and may have been made of iron, entered Earth's atmosphere and broke apart 30-50 km (19-31 miles) above ground, according to Russia's Academy of Sciences.

The energy released when it entered the Earth's atmosphere was equivalent to a few kilotonnes, the academy said, the power of a small atomic weapon exploding.

No deaths were reported but the Emergencies Ministry said 20,000 rescue and clean-up workers were sent to the region after President Vladimir Putin told Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov to ease the disruption and help the victims.

The Interior Ministry said about 1,200 people had been injured, at least 200 of them children, and most from shards of glass.

WINDOWS BLOWN OUT

The early-morning blast and ensuing shock wave blew out windows on Chelyabinsk's central Lenin Street, buckled some shop fronts, rattled apartment buildings in the city center and blew out windows.

"I was standing at a bus stop, seeing off my girlfriend," said Andrei, a local resident who did not give his second name. "Then there was a flash and I saw a trail of smoke across the sky and felt a shock wave that smashed windows."

A wall and roof were badly damaged at the Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant but a spokeswoman said no environmental threat resulted.

One piece of meteorite broke through the ice the Cherbakul Lake near Chelyabinsk, leaving a hole several meters (yards) wide.

The region has long been a hub for the Russian military and defense industry, and it is often the site where artillery shells are decommissioned.

A local Emergencies Ministry official said meteorite storms were extremely rare and Friday's incident may have been connected with an asteroid the size of an Olympic swimming pool that was due to pass Earth.

But an astronomer at Russia's Academy of Sciences, Sergei Barabanov, cast doubt on that report and the European Space Agency said its experts had confirmed there was no link.

The regional governor in Chelyabinsk said the meteorite shower had caused more than $30 million in damage, and the Emergencies Ministry said 300 buildings had been affected.

Despite warnings not to approach any unidentified objects, some enterprising locals were hoping to cash in.

"Selling meteorite that fell on Chelyabinsk!" one prospective seller, Vladimir, said on a popular Russian auction website. He attached a picture of a black piece of stone that on Friday afternoon was priced at 1,488 roubles ($49.46).

RARE EVENT

The Emergencies Ministry described Friday's events as a "meteorite shower in the form of fireballs" and said background radiation levels were normal. It urged residents not to panic.

The first footage was shot by car dashboard video cameras and soon went viral.

Russians also quickly made fun at the event on the Internet. A photo montage showed Putin riding the meteorite and Nationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovksy said in jest it was really a new weapon being tested by the United States.

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Christopher Dorner Manhunt: Cops Believe Ex-Cop Never Left Cabin as It Burned

Investigators have not been able to enter the still smoldering remains of the California mountain cabin where they believe fugitive ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner barricaded himself today, but they believe he was still there as the structure burned to the ground, police said tonight.

Cindy Bachman, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, which is the lead agency in the action, said the cabin in the San Bernardino Mountains near Big Bear was still too hot and dangerous for investigators to enter.

She said, however, that a suspect they believe is Dorner entered the cabin and did not come out as it burned to the ground.

"We believe that he was still inside the cabin [as it burned down], yes," Bachman said.

"Right, we believe, correct, we believe, we believe that the person that barricaded himself inside the cabin engaged in gunfire with our deputies and other law enforcement officers, is still inside there, even though the building burned, yes," she said.

Bachman spoke shortly after the Los Angeles Police Department denied reports that a body was found in the cabin, contradicting what law enforcement sources told ABC News and other news organizations.

Police around the cabin told ABC News they saw Dorner enter but never leave the building as it was consumed by flames, creating a billowing column of black smoke seen for miles.

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Pope Benedict XVI Says He Will Resign

Citing advanced years and infirmity, Pope Benedict XVIstunned the Roman Catholic world on Monday by saying he would resign on Feb. 28 after less than eight years in office, the first pope to do so in six centuries.

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The Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI

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• The Lede: Latest Updates on the Pope’s Resignation (February 11, 2013)

• Pope Resignation Announcement Text (February 11, 2013)

• Times Topic: Pope Benedict XVI

• Do Popes Quit? (April 11, 2010)

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Pope Benedict XVI delivered a statement at the end of a meeting of cardinals at the Vatican on Monday.

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After examining his conscience “before God,” he said in a statement that reverberated around the world on the Internet and on social media, “I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise” of his position as head of the world’s one billion Roman Catholics.

A profoundly conservative figure whose papacy was overshadowed by clerical abuse scandals, Benedict, 85, was elected by fellow cardinals in 2005 after the death of John Paul II.

The Rev. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said that the pope would continue to carry out his duties until Feb. 28 and that a successor could be elected by Easter, which falls on March 31. But, he added, the timing for the election of a new pope is “not an announcement, it’s a hypothesis.”

While there had been questions about Benedict’s health, the timing of his announcement sent shock waves around the world, even though he had in the past endorsed the notion that an incapacitated pope could resign.

“The pope took us by surprise,” said Father Lombardi, who explained that many cardinals were in Rome on Monday for a ceremony at the Vatican and heard the pope’s address. Italy’s prime minister, Mario Monti, said he was “very shaken by the unexpected news.”

The announcement plunged the Roman Catholic world into intense speculation about who will succeed him, and seemed likely to inspire many contrasting evaluations of a papacy that was seen as both conservative and contentious — though perhaps not so confrontational as many had feared of the man they called “God’s Rottweiler” for his tenacious defense of church doctrine.

The pope made his announcement in Latin, but his statement was translated into seven languages: Italian, French, English, German, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish.

“In today’s world,” the pope said, “subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of St. Peter and proclaim the gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.”

“For this reason,” he continued, “and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom, I declare that I renounce the ministry of bishop of Rome, successor of St. Peter.”

Silver-haired, stooped and cerebral, Benedict could well influence the choice of a successor because he has molded the College of Cardinals — the papal electoral body — by his appointment of kindred spirits during his papacy.

Vatican lore has it that cardinals seen as front-runners in advance of the vote rarely triumph, and  Vatican-watchers say there is no clear favorite among several potential contenders: Cardinal Angelo Scola, the archbishop of Milan; Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, the archbishop of Vienna; and Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the Canadian head of the Vatican’s office for bishops.

There have also been calls for a pope to be chosen from the developing world, home to half of the world’s Catholics.

Benedict, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, was elected on April 19, 2005.

At a news conference, the Vatican spokesman said the pope did not express strong emotions as he made his announcement but spoke with “great dignity, great concentration and great understanding of the significance of the moment.”

Father Lombardi said that the pope would retire first to his summer residence in Castelgandolfo, in the hills outside Rome, and later at a monastery in Vatican City.

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Massive power outages as Northeast blizzard turns deadly

A blizzard predicted to be of epic proportions is pounding the Northeast, already bringing more than a foot of snow to some areas as 40 million residents in its path brace for the worst.

As of 5:20 a.m. ET, more than 650,000 homes and businesses had lost electricity as wet snow, freezing rain and howling winds caused havoc.

More than 28 inches of snow has fallen in central Connecticut, and areas of southeastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire stand at 2 feet or more.

And the worst is not expected until later Saturday, the National Weather Service warned. Blizzard warnings are in effect for the New York City metro area and many coastal sections of New England. Hurricane winds of up to 75 mph are also possible.

As part of a new effort to name winter storms, the Weather Channel dubbed the blizzard "Nemo."

Finding Nemo hasn't been an issue: it's been leaving noticeable havoc. Police in New York say hundreds of cars have gotten stuck on the Long Island Expressway due to the blizzard conditions and dozens of disabled motorists are still on the road. The Long Island Expressway and Sunrise Highway are both shut down in Suffolk County except for emergency vehicles. The snow also caused a 19-car, four-hour pileup on I-295 near Cumberland, Maine. Several people had minor injuries, police said. In Vermont, which could get 4 to 16 inches of snow, the storm was being blamed for a series of crashes on I-89 in Bolton and South Burlington. Two people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

The storm is being blamed on at least four deaths in New York and Canada.

More than 5,200 flights in the region had been canceled through Saturday, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. New York City's three major airports and Boston's Logan Airport are closed. Flights were also canceled at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, where nearly a foot of snow was forecast. Amtrak suspended southbound service out of Boston and northbound service out of New York City on Friday afternoon.

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Weather NYC: Blizzard Threatens Rockaways, Ravaged by Sandy

Along the beachfront in New York’s Rockaways, the raw wounds from Hurricane Sandy are still visible.

Almost every home on the narrow strip of land was at least damaged during the storm three months ago. Today, the community prepared for what is now being called a “monster blizzard.”

In addition to more than a foot of snow in New York City, the forecast called for 50 to 60 m.p.h. winds, high tides, flooding and power outages — quite a staggering blow for an area still suffering from Mother Nature’s last wallop.

“How many ‘storms of the century’ can you have in six months?” resident Larry Racioppo said.

Sheila Forsmythe, whose house sits right on the water, said her home had flooded up to the second floor during Sandy, forcing her out for six weeks. This time, she planned to stay put.

“It’s a little disheartening that we’re just getting hit and hit and hit,” she told ABC News. “But this is the Rockaways.”

With the storm closing in today, the Sandy veterans scrambled for provisions.

For Lisa Jackson, who was buying ice and gasoline for her generator, it was a lesson she learned the hard way and did not intend to repeat.

“I was prepared for three or four days,” she said regarding the aftermath of Sandy. “I wasn’t prepared for a month.”

But in the Rockaways, getting the provisions remains difficult. Only a few gas stations have reopened since Sandy.  The one big supermarket is still closed. The one subway line is not up and running yet and won’t be until summer.

Rose Mary Greany admitted she’s weather-weary: “My brother called me this morning and said, ‘What’s next? Pestilence?’”

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Christopher Dorner Manhunt: Search For Ex-Cop Suspected Of Killing 3 Covers California

 Police spent all night searching the snowy mountains of Southern California but were unable to find the former Los Angeles police officer accused of carrying out a killing spree�because he felt he was unfairly fired from his job. �

Authorities planned a midmorning Friday news conference about 80 miles east of LA at Big Bear Lake, where Christopher Dorner's torched pickup was found Thursday.

Local ski areas were open, but Bear Valley schoolchildren had the day off because of the manhunt.

About 150 miles to the south, up to 16 San Diego County sheriff's deputies spent the night surrounding and searching a rural home after a hoaxer reported Dorner was there. There were people at home but Dorner wasn't one of them, said Lt. Jason Rothlein. Investigators have a pretty good idea who made the call and will be seek criminal charges, he said.

Though the focus is on the resort area, the search for Dorner, 33, stretches across California, Nevada, Arizona and northern Mexico. LAPD officers are especially on edge because Dorner, who was fired from the force in 2008 after three years on the job, promised in rambling writings to bring "warfare" to police and their families.

"We don't know what he's going to do," said Cindy Bachman, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, one of many law enforcement agencies whose primary purpose has become finding Dorner. "We know what he's capable of doing. And we need to find him."

Tracks that surrounded the truck and hours of door-to-door searching around Bear Mountain Ski Resort turned up nothing, and authorities conceded that the whereabouts of Dorner, also a former Naval reservist and onetime college running back, remained a mystery.

"He could be anywhere at this point," said San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon, who had 125 deputies and police officers and two helicopters searching the community of Big Bear Lake, where light snow fell early Friday morning.

The saga began Sunday night, when Monica Quan and fiance Keith Lawrence were found shot in their car at a parking structure at their condominium in Irvine. Quan was an assistant women's basketball coach at Cal State Fullerton. The following morning in National City, near San Diego, some of Dorner's belongings, including police equipment and paperwork with names related to the LAPD, were found in a trash bin.

The LAPD was notified of the find, and two days later informed Irvine police of an angry manifesto written by a former officer and posted on Facebook. Among those named as targets was Randal Quan, a former LAPD captain turned attorney who represented Dorner in his unsuccessful attempts to keep the police job he lost in 2008 for making false statements. 

Randal Quan was also Monica Quan's father.

"Bing bing bing, the dots were connecting," Irvine police Lt. Julia Engen said. "These names are somehow associated to Mr. Quan, who just lost his daughter the prior day. The dots connected. OK, now we've got a name of somebody to look at. That's when the discovery was connected."

On Wednesday night, Irvine and Los Angeles police announced they were searching for Dorner, declaring him armed and "extremely dangerous." Hours later, they learned they were all too correct.

Two LAPD officers en route to provide security to one of Dorner's possible targets were flagged down by a resident who reported seeing the suspect early Thursday at a gas station in Corona. The officers then followed a pickup truck until it stopped. The driver, believed to be Dorner, got out and fired a rifle, police said. A bullet grazed an officer's head.

Later, two officers on routine patrol in neighboring Riverside were ambushed at a stoplight by a motorist who drove up next to them and opened fire with a rifle. One died and the other was seriously wounded but was expected to survive, said Riverside police Chief Sergio Diaz.

Thousands of heavily armed officers patrolled highways throughout Southern California, while some stood guard outside the homes of people police said Dorner vowed to attack. Electronic billboards, which usually alert motorists about the commute, urged them to call 911 if they saw him.

At a news conference held amid heightened security in an underground room at police headquarters, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck urged Dorner to surrender.

"Of course he knows what he's doing; we trained him. He was also a member of the Armed Forces," he said. "It is extremely worrisome and scary."

While in the Naval Reserves, Dorner earned a rifle marksman ribbon and pistol expert medal. He was assigned to a naval undersea warfare unit and various aviation training units, according to military records, taking a leave from the LAPD to be deployed to Bahrain in 2006 and 2007.

He wrote that he would "utilize every bit of small arms training, demolition, ordinance and survival training I've been given," the manifesto read.

The hunt led to two errant shootings in the pre-dawn darkness Thursday.

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Remains Confirmed as King Richard III's

Researchers said the long-lost remains of King Richard III have been found and identified—after sitting under what is now a parking lot in the English Midlands for more than 500 years.

The findings could solve a centuries-old mystery involving one of England's most-storied rulers, who has remained in the public fascination through a Shakespeare play and Hollywood movies.

King Richard III Grave Confirmed

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Neil Hall/Reuters

King Richard III was the last English king to die in battle. A painting of the King by an unknown artist from the 16th Century hangs at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Further Reading

Bones of Contention: If the Skeleton Is Richard III, Where to Bury It? (Jan. 18, 2013)

University of Leicester researchers said at a news conference Monday that DNA tests on bones recently unearthed in an archaeological dig in Leicester match samples taken from two living descendants of Richard's sister. A separate skeletal analysis showed striking similarities between the unearthed bones and features Richard was said to have had, they said.

"It was the result we were all waiting to hear," the university said. "In one of the most important announcements in the University's history, our academics have today revealed that the…skeleton is indeed that of King Richard III."

Richard III, the controversial 15th century English monarch, was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. The story goes that the body was taken to nearby Leicester, about 100 miles north of London, after his death. Until recently, no one had tried to dig up his remains.

In September, archaeologists at the University of Leicester acted on a hunch that Richard may have been buried under a city council parking lot. Archaeologists started to dig and within a week had found a skeleton and a medieval friary, raising hopes that Richard's remains had been found.

DNA tests suggest that bones found under a parking lot in Leicester, England, are those of King Richard III, who ruled from 1483 to 1485 before being killed at the Battle of Bosworth. Dow Jones's Jenny Gross looks at the debate over where he should be buried.

Tests showed the man whose remains were found was likely to have been killed by one or two injuries to the skull, which fits with the story that Richard was killed in battle by sword or ax.

"The corpse was subjected to 'humiliation injuries'—including a sword through the right buttock," the university said.

The skeleton also has a curved spine, just as Richard was reported to have. Radiocarbon dating revealed the individual had a high-protein diet, including significant amounts of seafood, a sign he was of high status, the university said.

"I'm delighted it's been proven to be Richard, but after all the humiliation he has suffered in his reputation it's a shame his remains now have to be flashed around on the Internet," said Sally Henshaw, secretary of the Richard III Society branch in East Midlands. "At least we know we'll be able to put him to rest finally and he will be buried as an anointed king should be."

The bones will be reinterred in Leicester, where his remains stayed for more than 500 years. Some Richard III enthusiasts had called for the skeleton to be buried in York and others in Westminster Abbey or Windsor Castle, where other monarchs are interred.

"It's fantastic—absolutely brilliant," said Richard Smith, another member of the Richard III Society. "I'll be able to visit him frequently so that'll be very fortunate for me."

Stephen Stearns, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Yale University, said it is perfectly possible to recover mitochondrial DNA from a 500-year-old human skeleton and get an accurate read on whether it matches a living descendent.

Still, Dr. Stearns expressed some reservations. He said the University of Leicester is known for its evolutionary geneticists, but there is always a chance evidence can be tampered with or for other distortions.

"Scientists only trust a conclusion that's been shot at as hard as possible and still remains standing. And that process hasn't really started yet."

Still, he said, "It's pretty convincing to the evolution geneticists who look at it. I think you can say either it's Richard III or there was another hunchback who was killed at the same place at the same time. However the DNA evidence makes it unlikely it's another hunchback."

Leicester officials said they hope the prospect of a proper burial site would be a boost to tourism, creating a focal point for a king who ruled England for just two years, but whose story has long captivated enthusiasts.

Richard became king in 1483, taking power from his nephew, the 12-year-old Edward V. Richard said Edward was an illegitimate heir as the product of his father's second marriage. Richard was said to have imprisoned his two nephews in the Tower of London. Within months of Richard's taking the throne, the two nephews disappeared, and some assumed Richard had them murdered.

Some historians say Richard was an evil, power-hungry ruler who murdered family members to quicken his rise to the throne. William Shakespeare's "Richard III" helped to popularize this depiction, describing Richard as a crippled villain who killed anyone in his path to the throne.

Others say this description is fictional, and one spread by Henry Tudor, Richard's successor, whose army killed Richard in battle. Shakespeare was born about 80 years after Richard died and wrote during the Tudor dynasty. Pro-Richard enthusiasts say a closer look at Richard's reign shows he was one of the most progressive rulers of his time and one who promoted foreign trade and books.

His death at the Battle of Bosworth Field, outside of Leicester, marked a pivotal moment in English history and in the struggle for power between the House of York and the House of Lancaster, known as the "The Wars of the Roses." Richard was the last of the Plantagenet kings to rule and his defeat by Henry VII began the start of the Tudor dynasty, which lasted for more than a century.

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Mary Leakey's 100th Birthday: A Look at Her Human Achievements

Yesterday marks the 100th birthday of anthropologist Mary Leakey, whose extensive research in Africa's Rift Valley taught us that our ancestors had capabilities far beyond the image of the primitive, brutish Neanderthal (although the existence of Arnold Schwarzenegger could argue against it).

Born in 1913 in London, Mary Leakey showed little interest in her formal education and only found her calling once she discovered archaeology. She met her other famous half, archaeologist Louis Leakey, while illustrating his book, Adam's Ancestors, and in 1937, the pair married and became of the most famous science husband-wife teams (pictured above). (An interesting factoid to note: Louis mentored the likes ofJane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas, who are now being referred to as Leakey's Angels.).

A believer of Charles Darwin's theory that the human species originated in Africa, Leakey took her work to the Dark Contient and in 1960 discovered Homo habilis (the "handy man"), a predecessor to the Neanderthal, who made tools for various purposes.

In 1975, Leakey and her team were credited for another explosive finding: They uncovered footprints, which were thought to be 3.5 million years old, leading scientists to believe that even before the tool makers, hominids were walking upright.

Leakey continued active fieldwork until 1983. Although she died in 1996 at the age of 83, her son Richard and her granddaughter Louise continue her work in Africa.

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