Galileo finger and thumb go on show

A finger and a thumb belonging to Galileo went on display yesterday in a Florence museum named after the astronomer.

In 1737, admirers of Galileo Galilei removed three digits, plus a tooth and a vertebra, from his body as it was being moved from storage to a tomb in Santa Croce Basilica in Florence. The thumb and middle finger of the right hand turned up at an auction last year and were identified as belonging to the scientist, who died in 1642. The second finger was already on display in the museum.