Anatomist Behind ‘Body Worlds’ Corpse Exhibition Dies at 81

The anatomist who created the popular yet controversial “Body Worlds” exhibits of preserved human corpses in elaborate poses has died at age 81. Gunther von Hagens began developing his so-called plastination process in the 1970s, replacing body fluids with liquid plastic that hardens to prevent decay and leave tissues intact. The technique allowed him to stage the first “Body Worlds” show in Japan in 1995 before bringing his collection of partly skinless corpses to cities around the world. The show used corpses of people who had agreed to donate their bodies for plastination, but critics argued that von Hagens’ work was sensationalist. A statement issued by von Hagens’ family and his Institute for Plastination did not provide a cause of death, though the anatomist had said in 2010 that he was living with Parkinson’s disease. His family said he had asked that his body be made available for plastination after he died, a wish they planned to carry out.

The wife of Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy was allegedly shot by her son in the couple’s home on Sunday night. Virginia law enforcement arrived at the Ashburn, Virginia, residence at approximately 7:30 p.m. to find Mia Bieniemy, 57, with gunshot wounds. She was immediately brought to a hospital. Elijah Bieniemy, the 27-year-old son of the victim, was arrested and charged with use of a firearm in commission of a felony, malicious wounding, and discharge of a firearm inside a dwelling for the shooting. He is currently in custody at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center in Leesburg, Virginia, and is being held without bond. Eric, the offensive coordinator of the Chiefs from 2013 to 2022, rejoined the team last year after a stretch with the Washington Commanders, the UCLA Football team, and the Chicago Bears. He was present for Sunday’s practice in Missouri but absent on Monday following the incident. Mia Bieniemy is in stable condition but no details have been provided on what provoked the shooting.

America just turned 250—but we don’t look backward. We’re already thinking about the next 250 years of innovation. Want to share your thoughts about the country’s future and have a chance to be featured on The Daily Beast Podcast? Pull out your red-white-and-blue soapbox and share your thoughts, predictions, and questions here.

In a four-part series, Joanna Coles is sitting down with experts to discuss the future of America, exploring topics like manufacturing, sports, and technology. This series is produced in partnership with PMI U.S., US Businesses of Philip Morris International and its America250 initiative, a yearlong push to celebrate and accelerate American innovation and reinvention.

This week, Joanna sits down with Vivek Ranadivé, owner of the Sacramento Kings and longtime tech investor, to discuss the future of sports and technology. Sports have always been a backbone and mirror of American identity and culture, with baseball serving as a national pastime, football cemented as a Sunday tradition, and millions of fans finding community through the teams they love and the games they play. As innovation reshapes athletics both on and off the court, what new trends and breakthroughs will emerge? Share your thoughts for a chance to have Vivek and Joanna respond on air.

Your opinions fuel the conversation. Don’t miss your chance to weigh in—submit your thoughts here.

Dolly Parton’s older brother Coy “Denver” Parton has died at the age of 82. It comes one year after her husband, Carl Dean, died at the same age after 60 years married to the music icon. An obituary obtained by The Sun said keen hunter Coy was a crane operator in Sevierville, Tennessee, and worked on building bridges and homestead construction. Coy and Dolly were two of 12 children born to Avie Lee Owens Parton and Lee Parton, with Coy the fifth to die, after Larry, David, Randy, and Floyd. His cause of death has not been revealed. Dolly admitted that her own health hadn’t been at the top of her priority list as Dean’s health deteriorated. She has since missed several appearances, including her own 80th birthday. Amongst the ailments, she said she had a kidney stone and an infection that prevented her from traveling, and despite having made some appearances since, some fans were concerned she appeared shaky.

The founder of a controversial kratom-based drink that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin holds a large stake in admitted he knew customers would abuse it. J.W. Ross, 63, started Botanic Tonics in May 2020 and turned Feel Free, its kava-and-kratom shot, into a brand with sales topping $250 million across 24,000-plus stores. Critics dub it “gas station heroin” because it hits the same brain receptors as opioids. Ross began life as Jerry Dale Cash and was imprisoned for diverting $10 million out of the Oklahoma oil and gas firm he ran, according to the Daily Beast’s investigative Substack PunchUp. He renamed himself in January 2014. On a 2023 podcast, Ross said he dosed himself heavily for months and tracked his own blood work “because I knew that some people would abuse it.” Mullin, 48, put as much as $1 million into the company and has not divested. He then backed a federal crackdown in July 2025 that hit rivals selling 7-OH concentrates but left whole-leaf kratom, the type in Feel Free, alone. A DHS spokesperson said Mullin “follows all ethics and conflict of interest standards and has not lobbied for any individual or company. As a Senator, Markwayne Mullin fought alongside Secretary Kennedy to regulate 7-OH, which is a synthetic drug marketed to kids at convenience stores via deceptive packaging.” Ross did not respond to multiple requests for comment from PunchUp.

Tom Latchem exposes the secrets, scandals, and stories that powerful people and institutions want to keep under wraps. Follow all of his reporting at PunchUp on Substack.

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There are plenty of purchases I’ve justified over the years in the name of “self-care,” but few have delivered quite as much immediate gratification as my Lola Blanket. Whether you’re settling in for a TV marathon, reading in bed, cuddling with your partner (or, more realistically in my case, your pet), or just trying to survive an overzealous air conditioner in the middle of summer, a great throw blanket is one of those everyday luxuries we often overlook. Lola Blankets have very much earned their reputation as the internet’s favorite blanket, and after wrapping yourself in one, it’s not exactly hard to understand why.

Dubbed the “softest blanket ever,” the brand’s premium faux-fur throws have amassed more than 30,000 five-star reviews, making them among the most beloved blankets online. Available in an impressive range of colors, patterns, and four different sizes (along with weighted and pet-friendly versions), there’s a Lola Blanket for just about every sofa, bed, and perpetually chilly person. The ultra-soft blankets strike that rare balance of looking elevated enough to leave draped over your couch while still being the blanket everyone instinctively reaches for the second they sit down.

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Of course, softness is only part of their appeal. Unlike many faux-fur throws that require delicate care (or immediately look worse after one wash), Lola Blankets are machine washable, stain-resistant, and built to withstand everyday life. That makes them especially ideal for homes with kids, pets, or anyone who’s been known to enjoy dinner, wine, or an entire sleeve of cookies on the couch (*shamefully raising my hand*).

Each blanket is crafted with OEKO-TEX Standard 100-certified faux fur, therapeutic four-way stretch that makes sharing with a partner (or a pet) a little easier, and reinforced double-hemmed edges for added durability. Best of all, they’re shed-proof, so your furniture, clothes, and floors won’t end up looking like you’ve adopted a very fluffy new pet.

The final known moments of an American woman who vanished during a Caribbean vacation have been revealed as her family desperately searches for answers. Elizabeth “Liz” Waddell, 44, was last seen on July 22 at Grand Anse Beach in St. George’s, Grenada, according to a missing person alert from the Royal Grenada Police Force. Waddell was staying at an Airbnb with a friend, who became concerned after she failed to return from the beach. The friend searched the area and found only Waddell’s towel. Family spokesperson Amanda Romano-Harmon said surveillance footage captured Waddell swimming near a pier between noon and 1 p.m. before she disappeared from view. “The last sighting that we have of her confirmed on a camera is between noon and 1 p.m. on Wednesday,” Romano-Harmon told NBC News correspondent Jesse Kirsch. “There was an area bar and grill that has a camera that faces out towards that pier in the bay. She was just kind of swimming and floating along, but then she floated off the camera’s view.” Waddell, the founder of a North Carolina physical therapy center, had traveled to Grenada for an unknown reason. Her family is now reviewing her online searches to retrace her plans. “We want to leave no stone unturned,” Romano-Harmon said.

Bill Oddie has died at the age of 85. The TV star was known for his 1970-82 role in The Goodies, which he co-wrote and acted in as a fictionalized version of himself, alongside Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden. The Rochdale-born icon also wrote the music for The Goodies, including the 1975 hit “The Funky Gibbon,” which reached No. 4 on the U.K. charts.Oddie also became TV’s signature birdwatcher, on BBC’s Springwatch. He was a staunch wildlife advocate, serving as a member of the council of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Oddie had a complex personality underneath his easygoing appearance. He lived with bipolar disorder that at times caused him to miss a number of episodes of Springwatch. After the BBC dropped him from the show he admitted he was sent into a major depressive episode that put him in a hospital for a year. The star married Jean Hart, a jazz musician, in 1967. He is survived by their two daughters. The couple later divorced and Oddie married Laura Beaumont, a host on the TV game show Sale of the Century, in 1983. His cause of death has not been disclosed.

A Montana man walked 10 miles to safety with a trekking pole speared through his torso after slipping near the summit of the state’s highest mountain. David Cifaldi fell on one of his poles close to the top of the 12,803-foot Granite Peak during a hike with two friends. “By the time I rolled over, I kind of knew something wasn’t right,” he told CBS affiliate KVTQ. The pole pierced his side below his left arm and exited through his lower back, narrowly missing vital organs. “Through my skin, I could feel the trekking pole,” he said. Cifaldi, an emergency room nurse trained in wound care, said his medical instincts took over. “As soon as I was able to self-assess and establish that this was not life-threatening right now, I was pretty convinced I was going to get off that mountain under my own power.” He and his friends hiked six-and-a-half hours back down after alerting authorities with a satellite communicator. Friend Jesse Ross said Cifaldi shielded other hikers from the gruesome sight. “There’s families, and he had us hike ahead and warn people so young kids didn’t have to see such a gnarly wound,” Ross said. “Just so selfless.” Surgeons in Billings later removed the pole.

A Washington state fisherman has been arrested after allegedly dragging protected sharks out of the water and filming himself wrestling them. Connor Seifert was charged with nine counts of unlawful fishing and one gross misdemeanor after a monthslong investigation. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said it had received 14 complaints about Seifert. “Many people were notifying us, like, ‘Hey, this person is doing this,’” said Lt. Kit Rosenberger with Washington State Fish and Wildlife Police. “Targeting these sharks, catching them, mishandling them, dragging them out of the water, wrestling with them.” Seifert posted the illegal catches of sixgill and sevengill sharks to his social media accounts. He was caught in the act by officers in June in South Puget Sound, allegedly pulling a sixgill shark out of the water for a photo op. According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, sixgill and sevengill sharks are both classified as a “Species of Greatest Conservation Need.”

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Whether for college, at the office, or just daily life, unless you’ve got the memory of an elephant, taking notes is a must. Remarkable has built a name for itself with innovative tablets that cut out distracting apps and focus on productivity. In fact, a study by Remarkable found that users experience 35 percent less stress and 20 percent more focus when using a paper tablet compared with working on a PC. The brand’s Remarkable Paper Pure is its latest model, allowing users to experience the feel of taking notes with old-fashioned pen and paper, with modern upgrades like Google and Microsoft integration, AI summary functionality, handwriting conversion, and so much more.

The Paper Pure is designed with a 10.3-inch screen, a three-week battery life on a single charge, and a super-crisp black-and-white canvas display. Writing on the Remarkable Pure Paper feels just like writing on paper, with the digital ink appearing in as little as 21 milliseconds—faster than the blink of an eye.

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The next-level tablet also comes with a custom-made marker that can be used as a ballpoint pen, pencil, or even highlighter. Plus, since the tablet is held together with screws and snaps (not glue), repairs aren’t a headache for professionals.

Need a weekly planner? There’s a template for that. Want a notebook with ruled lines? There’s a template for that, too. You can even connect with productivity apps like Outlook, Slack, Google Drive, and OneDrive to pick up writing on your laptop. Whether you’re using it for work, school, or just as a journal, the Paper Pure is an all-in-one note-taking device.

An American Airlines flight flying from Rome to Philadelphia was forced to land in Ireland after six of the nine flight attendants fell sick on board. Flight AA-719 departed Rome Fiumicino Airport and was in the air for roughly three hours before it had to divert to Dublin on Saturday afternoon. American Airlines said that a majority of the cabin crew reported feeling unwell after a “reported odor” was detected aboard the Boeing 787. One of the 281 passengers aboard the flight also reported feeling ill during the flight. After landing safely, the airline said paramedics met the aircraft at the gate “out of an abundance of caution.” The six flight attendants and passengers were evaluated and subsequently released. All passengers were then put in hotels and rebooked onto another flight to Philadelphia the following day. It is unclear what caused the smell during the flight, or whether it caused the crew to fall ill. Aviation insider @XJonNYC first reported on the crew members feeling dizzy and unwell during the transatlantic flight on X.

Hollywood’s biggest stars may have had their private contact information laid bare after a massive online database linked to the Tribeca Film Festival was allegedly exposed. Cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler said he discovered four publicly accessible databases containing roughly 666,000 records dating from 2019 through 2026. Most were marketing files, but one allegedly included celebrities’ private email addresses and mobile phone numbers. Among those reportedly affected were Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro, Jennifer Lawrence, Morgan Freeman, Winona Ryder, Martin Scorsese and George Lucas. Fowler, of Black Hills Information Security, said it was “by far the biggest collection of celebrity data I’ve ever seen.” “What was really interesting was that there was a folder that captured their device information based off the email,” he said. “That could give the bad guys a lot of additional information.” He said he alerted the Tribeca Film Festival last month, before its annual event began, and the organization responded that it “takes matters of data security very seriously and is actively investigating this issue” before removing the databases. It remains unclear how long the information was publicly accessible or whether anyone accessed it maliciously. There is no suggestion the Tribeca Film Festival was responsible for the alleged exposure.