Volume 26, Issue 13, Pages R544-R547 (July 2016) Heads of the dead  Michael Gross  Current Biology  Volume 26, Issue 13, Pages R544-R547 (July 2016) DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.06.055 Copyright © 2016 Terms and Conditions

Face off: An anatomical illustration of the human skull and face, lateral view. (Credit: Patrick J. Lynch, medical illustrator; C. Carl Jaffe, MD, cardiologist.) Current Biology 2016 26, R544-R547DOI: (10.1016/j.cub.2016.06.055) Copyright © 2016 Terms and Conditions

Stacked up: Mass burial of human skulls and bones can effectively convey the horror of events that led to massive death tolls. Shown here are the Paris catacombs. (Photo: Shadowgate/Wikimedia Commons.) Current Biology 2016 26, R544-R547DOI: (10.1016/j.cub.2016.06.055) Copyright © 2016 Terms and Conditions

New face: The Latmul in Papua New Guinea honoured notable ancestors by sculpting a new, beautiful face onto their exhumed skulls, using clay and shells. This is an example from the Gabriel Max collection. (Photo: Michael Gross.) Current Biology 2016 26, R544-R547DOI: (10.1016/j.cub.2016.06.055) Copyright © 2016 Terms and Conditions

Brought back: Forensic reconstruction of the faces of unidentified cadavers can enable the identification of the person. This photo by Arne Svenson is from his book Unspeaking Likeness, published by Twin Palms (https://twinpalms.com/books-artists/unspeaking-likeness/). Current Biology 2016 26, R544-R547DOI: (10.1016/j.cub.2016.06.055) Copyright © 2016 Terms and Conditions

Festive colours: Skulls are widely used in the celebration of the Mexican tradition of the Day of the Dead. (Photo: Adrián Cerón/Wikimedia Commons.) Current Biology 2016 26, R544-R547DOI: (10.1016/j.cub.2016.06.055) Copyright © 2016 Terms and Conditions