Unfortunately, there is never enough time to cover all the interesting science stories we encounter each month. Previously, we published year-end events reviews. cool science stories we (almost) missed. This year we are experimenting with a monthly collection. November's list includes forensic details about the medieval murder of a Hungarian duke, why woodpeckers grunt when they peck, and further evidence that X's much-maligned community posts may after all help combat the spread of misinformation.
Murdered medieval Hungarian duke.
Photo: Tamás Hajdu et al., 2026
Back in 1915, archaeologists discovered the skeletal remains of a young man in a Dominican monastery on Margaret Island in Budapest, Hungary. The remains were believed to be those of Duke Béla Masco, grandson of the medieval Hungarian king Béla IV. According to historical accounts, the young Duke was brutally murdered in 1272 by a rival faction, and his mutilated remains were found by the Duke's sister and niece and buried in the monastery.
Identification of the remains was based on modern osteological analysis, but they were subsequently lost and only rediscovered in 2018. Paper published in the journal Forensic Science International: Genetics have now confirmed this identification and shed more light on exactly how the Duke died. (A preprint available on bioRxiv.]
An interdisciplinary team of researchers conducted various types of bioarchaeological analyzes of the remains. including genetic testing, proteomics, 3D modeling and radiocarbon dating. The data obtained definitively prove that the skeleton really belongs to Duke Bela Masco.
The authors were also able to reconstruct the manner of the Duke's death, concluding that it was a coordinated attack by three people. One attacked from the front, the other two attacked from the left and right, and the Duke faced his assassins and tried to defend himself. The weapons were most likely a saber and a longsword, and the assassins continued to strike at him even after the Duke had fallen to the ground. The authors concluded that while the attack was clearly planned, it was also personal in nature and fueled by anger or hatred.
