Australian scientists identified Ned Kelly's remains

 　　CANBERRA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Bushranger Ned Kelly's headless body has finally been identified in Australia, more than 130 years after his execution in the Old Melbourne Gaol¹, Victoria's Attorney- General Robert Clark announced on Thursday.

　　Clark said the bushranger's remains² have been identified by doctors and scientists at the Victorian Institute of Forensic³ Medicine (VIFM).

　　Kelly was an Irish Australian bushranger, considered by some merely a cold-blooded killer⁴, while by others a folk hero and symbol of Irish Australian resistance against oppression by the British ruling class for his defiance⁵ of the colonial authorities. He was hanged for murder in 1880 at Old Melbourne Gaol. His daring and notoriety made him an iconic figure in Australian history, folklore⁶, literature, art and film.

　　The project involved collaboration⁷ with the ancient DNA⁸ laboratory EAAF in Argentina, which has worked with the VIFM on other forensic projects.

　　Clark said "This is an extraordinary achievement by our forensic team here in Victoria," he told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday.

　　"To think a group of scientists could identify the body of a man who was executed more than 130 years ago, moved and buried in a haphazard⁹ fashion among 33 other prisoners, most of whom are not identified, is amazing." The investigation¹⁰ started when a skull¹¹ believed to belong to Kelly was handed to the VIFM on Nov. 11, 2009.

　　The skull handed in in 2009 was found not to be that of Ned Kelly, and Glenrowan historian Gary Deans said the next step is to find Kelly's skull.

　　"The Government should put a request in the public arena¹² for the return of Ned Kelly's skull," he told ABC News.

　　"We know thanks to Jack¹³ Cranston, who held the skull around 1929, that it was sitting on a detective's desk. This was around the same time that remains were dug up in the Old Melbourne Gaol.

　　"I imagine that that detective or somebody else took it home."

1 gaol   

n.(jail)监狱；(不加冠词)监禁；vt.使…坐牢

参考例句：

• He was released from the gaol.他被释放出狱。
• The man spent several years in gaol for robbery.这男人因犯抢劫罪而坐了几年牢。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 forensic   

adj.法庭的，雄辩的

参考例句：

• The report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence.该报告包括他对法庭证据的诠释。
• The judge concluded the proceeding on 10:30 Am after one hour of forensic debate.经过近一个小时的法庭辩论后，法官于10时30分宣布休庭。

4 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

5 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

6 folklore   

n.民间信仰，民间传说，民俗

参考例句：

• Zhuge Liang is a synonym for wisdom in folklore.诸葛亮在民间传说中成了智慧的代名词。
• In Chinese folklore the bat is an emblem of good fortune.在中国的民间传说中蝙蝠是好运的象征。

7 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

8 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

9 haphazard   

adj.无计划的，随意的，杂乱无章的

参考例句：

• The town grew in a haphazard way.这城镇无计划地随意发展。
• He regrerted his haphazard remarks.他悔不该随口说出那些评论话。

10 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

11 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

12 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

13 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。