CZECH REPUBLIC: Analysis of the exhumed remains of 16th-century astronomer Tycho Brahe has put to rest a few of the most notorious tales about his life and death. Samples from his beard, bones, and teeth were studied to determine if there is any truth to the rumor that he died from mercury poisoning. The samples don’t contain deadly concentrations of mercury, suggesting that reports of death by bladder infection might be more credible. The researchers also found that Brahe’s famous prosthetic nose (he lost the original in a duel over a mathematical formula) was made not of gold or silver, but of bronze. —Samir S. Patel