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Tough guy over here. A Brazilian fisherman who accidentally fired a harpoon through his own face survived with minimal brain damage -- and didn't bother to seek medical attention for more than 10 hours. Bruno Barcellos de Souza Coutinho, 34, was cleaning his fishing gear when the speargun discharged, sending the foot-long weapon approximately six inches into his skull, according to Hospital Santa Teresa. Instead of rushing to the hospital, de Souza Coutinho apparently thought he would relax and let the wound heal, prompting his aunt to call the fire department. snip

Tuesday 11 December 2007New report on first death by spearing in Australia A new report led by an ANU archaeologist on the first evidence of death by spearing in Australia has been published in the prestigious British journal Antiquity. The paper outlines the collaborative detective work that took place following the discovery of the skeletal remains of an Aboriginal male in the Sydney suburb of Narrabeen during excavations for gas works in 2005. A number of stone tools, interpreted as spear barbs, were also discovered at the site. Lead author Dr Jo McDonald from the Research School of Humanities at...