The 2009 Kelly LeBrock Award for weirdest application of science goes to Alan Massey, a former chemist at the University of Loughborough, UK. He’s been analysing a ‘witch bottle’ found in Greenwich back in 2004. These vessels were commonly buried in the 16th and 17th centuries as a means to ward off evil spirits and curses.

It’s pretty rare to come across an intact witch bottle, and this is the first one to be scientifically analysed. The simplest test, wobbling the bottle around a little, indicated that it must contain a liquid and some small, hard objects.

An X-ray follow-up revealed this:

(Image: Alan Massey/R. J. Bostock)

A little murky, but you can see a collection of bent over pins. To get a clearer impression, the researchers next turned to tomography. Here’s the CT scan, which clearly shows the liquid:

(Image: Alan Massey)

At this point, it must have been a difficult decision whether to open the jar. One should always be careful of damaging historical artifacts. And, then, there’s the worry about meddling with diabolical powers you cannot possibly comprehend. We’ve all seen Raiders of the Lost Ark, right?

Well, these researchers were made of sterner stuff and prised open the vessel. Here’s what they found:

(Image: Alan Massey)

The recipe is printed in New Scientist. "The bottle…contained bent nails and pins, a nail-pierced leather “heart”, fingernail clippings, navel fluff and hair. The presence of iron sulphide in the mixture also suggests that sulphur or brimstone had been added."

And the liquid? Human urine. Analytical techniques were sensitive enough to detect nicotine in this noisome aqueous phase, suggesting its creator was a smoker.

The analysis gives the first confirmation of historical documents describing witch bottles, an unusual blending of science and folklore. The research will be published in British Archaeology next month.