BBC/Passion Pictures/Pierre Auroux/@Pierresnaps

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‘She just did not care’

Bettmann/Getty Images

‘I will cherish that forever’

BBC/Passion Docs Ltd./Pierre Auroux/@PIERRESNAPS

MYSTERY surrounding human remains from the disastrous Franklin expedition in 1845 has been solved, with researchers revealing an unlucky lad was cannibalised.

Scientists also identified the sailor, who was eaten after the botched voyage that was dubbed the “lost expedition”.

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The failed journey of arctic exploration was led by Sir John Franklin, who brought 129 crewmen along with him.

Researchers have used DNA analysis to find that some of the remains on King William Island in Canada belong to a lad named Sir James Fitzjames, who had the title of British first officer.

The study’s co-author Dr Douglas Stenton, who hails from Waterloo University, said rank and status counted for nothing once survival instincts kicked in.

A British Royal Navy expedition, the sailors took to the seas to find a sea route between the Pacific and the Atlantic – via the Arctic.

They hoped lucrative shipping routes could be established if a safe route over Canada’s north was discovered.

But two ships – one aptly named HMS Terror and the other HMS Erebus – got trapped in the ice close to King William Island.

Franklin ordered his crew to abandon the ships and instead try to traverse the island by foot.

They were no match for the freezing temperatures, as well as scurvy they’d developed.

Not a single one survived, and the discovery of the crew’s bones years later sent shivers down scientists’ spines.

A team from University of Waterloo and Lakehead University in 2013 excavated the site, containing a chilling 415 bones believed to belong to at least 13 crew.

One of those bones was a jawbone, since found to belong to Fitzjames.

But what had scientists speculating over cannibalism was the state they found it in – it featured a series of small cut marks.

Researchers believed this indicated the bones was butchered for meat, and that Captain Fitzjames had been eaten by a cannibal.

The horror hypothesis was later proven when scientists discovered many of the same bones to have similar cut marks.

At least four of the bodies at the site had been eaten, scientists say.

Robert Park, another co-author from University of Waterloo, said: “It demonstrates the level of desperation that the Franklin sailors must have felt to do something they would have considered abhorrent.

“Ever since the expedition disappeared into the Arctic 179 years ago there has been widespread interest in its ultimate fate, generating many speculative books and articles and, most recently, a popular television miniseries which turned it into a horror story with cannibalism as one of its themes.

“Meticulous archaeological research like this shows that the true story is just as interesting and that there is still more to learn.”

Scientists are now calling for any descendants of sailors from the doomed expedition to see if they DNA can matched to any of the others left rotting on the island.

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A POPULAR TV presenter has revealed the key hotel habits she swears by to avoid getting sick on her travels.

Catriona Rowntree, 53, is a seasoned traveller having presented Australia’s Getaway for 27 years but has now revealed her top hotel hacks she swears by.

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One of her key tips is how to avoid getting sick when staying overseas – and that’s to turn off the air-con “immediately” in order to avoid catching a cold.

She also told Escape that you should never drink the water.

Catriona also recommended the best time to travel was in the shoulder season – the period between high season and off-season.

For anyone wanting a more authentic experience while abroad the TV personality recommended using a local travel concierge.

If you don’t want to get hit in the wallet, always avoid the mini bar as they’re always overpriced.

Catriona also recommended taking a little sample of your favourite coffee or tea with you.

She also said to always be nice to whoever is checking you in as “a genuine smile and kindness is always rewarded”.

A quirky tip she also revealed was to take an egg cup from home if you like a boiled egg because “no one ever seems to supply them”.

Another useful tip was to photograph where you parked the car at the airport as “I guarantee you’ll return pooped and forget where you left it”.

Catriona also had advice for those going on a cruise.

She recommended booking a salon treatment the moment you get on board so you can get all the “location goss” from the beautician.

The Getaway star also said to never take candles or hair straighteners/tongs on a cruise ship.

Catriona also revealed the three essential items she always took with her on her holidays.

Firstly, she always packed a pair of earplugs as she said she was always wakened by bumps in in the night.

Another thing she always had with her was a wool scarf, which she said could serve a number of purposes, from keeping her warm on flights, to covering her hair and shoulders if she went to visit a religious site and also to use as a cover for her pillow if she was staying at a “dodgy hotel”.

The third item was a shower cap as she said not every hotel had them.

Not only does it keep your hair dry but she used them to cover her shoes if they go dirty.

Not only that but they were also ideal for wrapping her “wet cozzie in” having gone for that last holiday swim.

Catriona also shared her top tips for flying long haul.

She said that she always dresses in layers and never wore a belt in order to stay comfortable.

The experienced travellers also said she used packet wipes to remove any makeup, so she could do it sat in her sea.

She also advised to try to watch a film made in the country she was going to.

A quirky thing she revealed was that she never touched alcohol whilst watching a sad movie on a plane.

Catriona said: “The low air pressure and high altitude make me cry like a baby.

“Consider yourself lucky you weren’t sitting next to me when I watched Bridges over Madison County, when drinking a red vino. SO embarrassing.”

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Claimed Orders to Target Trains

According to the FSB, the suspects were recruited by Ukrainian intelligence and were promised payments ranging from 10,000 to 15,000 rubles ($100 to $150).

The specific targets of the fires were not disclosed, but state media aired footage of the suspects being detained.

The video showed FSB agents apprehending the individuals, some of whom had visible injuries. One of the detained suspects claimed they were contacted via the Telegram messaging app to carry out arson attacks.

Though the arrested individuals are accused of setting fire to cell phone towers, one suspect reported that they had been given instructions to create explosives for larger attacks, including targeting trains.

The arrests occurred in various regions of Russia, including Irkutsk, Nizhny Novgorod, and Samara, all far from the Ukrainian border.