Bone daggers from New Guinea. a) Human bone dagger attributed to the Upper Sepik River. b) Cassowary bone dagger attributed to the Abelam people. (Credit: Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College)Daggers ...

Human bones make the best bone daggers, researchers studying weapons prized by the people of New Guinea have discovered. Using imaging, computer simulations and good-old-fashioned stabbing tests ...

It turns out human bones, especially thigh bones, were prized by New Guinean warriors as materials which could be carved into exceptionally strong, fierce daggers.

According to a new study, the dagger fashioned from human bone is stronger than the giant bird's thighbone, largely because of the way the warriors of New Guinea carved the weapons.

Dominy and colleagues conclude by suggesting that human bone daggers were highly prized and suggest that, in the Sepik region of New Guinea, the main concern was "to preserve intact the embodiment ...

On Wednesday, an unusual study concluded that human thigh bone did not make for better dagger material, but was rather a symbol of prestige.

Strength of New Guinea’s Bone Daggers Evaluated News April 26, 2018 (© Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College; NJ Dominy et al, Royal Society Open Science) ...

Human thigh bones were used to make incredibly strong daggers. Pictured, Syrian Fayad al-Sioufi working on a dagger scabbard at his shop selling various types of blades made of Damascus steel in ...

New Guinea warriors harvested thigh bones from their dead fathers to fashion into ornamental but deadly daggers used to kill and maim enemies, sometimes to eat them.

New Guinea warriors harvested thigh bones from their dead fathers to fashion into ornamental but deadly daggers used to kill and maim enemies, sometimes to eat them. On Wednesday, an unusual study ...