MUSEUMS in the UK should be allowed to return their collections of human remains to their rightful owners, a government advisory panel has recommended. But one prominent member of the panel has broken ranks, saying proper consideration has not been given to the wider benefits to humanity that come from studying such collections.
The US and Australia have already taken significant, if controversial steps to repatriate human remains (New Scientist, 31 May, p 12). In the UK, however, some institutions are legally prevented from returning artefacts to descendants in other countries. A panel of 12 experts has now published…
