Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Galileo finger and thumb go on show

Wednesday 09 June 2010 00:00 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A finger and a thumb belonging to Galileo went on display yesterday in a Florence museum named after the astronomer.

In 1737, admirers of Galileo Galilei removed three digits, plus a tooth and a vertebra, from his body as it was being moved from storage to a tomb in Santa Croce Basilica in Florence. The thumb and middle finger of the right hand turned up at an auction last year and were identified as belonging to the scientist, who died in 1642. The second finger was already on display in the museum.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in