Los Angeles police said that Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, now known as 'killer Santa,' originally planned to fly to Canada after his killing spree, but changed his plans after severely burning himself. Residents of the suburban community have expressed shock over the incident.

Police said Pardo, who killed nine people, on Christmas Eve, dressed as a Santa, also sprayed gasoline throughout the home of his ex-wife's parents and set it on fire, but the home exploded and his Santa suit melted onto his skin causing third-degree burns.

Two government scientists from the Philippines have invented a cheaper and healing medical bandage using indigenous mushroom and fiber waste.

The so-called non-woven medical bandage from microfungal fibers of Dr. Claro Santiago Jr. and Rhodora Flores of the Department of Science and Technology's Industrial Technology Development Institute is made from the fibers of the edible mushroom volvariella volvacea, fibrous materials from agro-industrial wastes, alginate or stabilizer and textile fiber.

A German farmer who lost his two arms in an accident six years ago went public Wednesday with two new arms transplanted to him in the first surgery of its kind.

Karl Merk, 54, showed his arms, which were supported by a special corset attached to his shoulders, at the teaching hospital of the Technical University here. He was with the doctors who performed the 15-hour transplant from July 25 to 26.

Australian scientists from Sydney IVF, a fertility firm, got a license Wednesday to produce cloned human embryos.

It is Australia's and the world's first license to obtain stem cells from cloned human embryos. It is expected to generate controversy in medical research over ethical issues.

An elaborate tattoo of Virgin Mary on the back of a Swiss man fetched $219,000 from a German collector at a Zurich gallery on Monday, on condition he allows it to be exhibited at least three time a year.

Gallery owner Jutta Nexdorf said the extraordinary deal also gives the "buyer" the right to take from the skin of Tim Steiner the tattoo upon his death.