Death
Science has a lot to say about life and death. Doctors can carry out an autopsy before the deceased starts to decompose, to establish the cause of death. Forensic scientists collect evidence after a homicide. Does being dead mean that your heart stops beating or your brain stops being conscious? Your body is just a machine to carry your brain around, but if you are in a coma you can be pronounced 'brain dead', even though your heart and lungs keep working, a bit like a zombie. And when you die, what about the afterlife..?
How should you talk to someone who has just lost a loved one?
When a loved one is processing grief, don't assume you know how they feel
What is it like to die? The reassuring science of near-death experiences
They leave their bodies, witness a bright light and return forever changed. But do survivors of near-death experiences truly glimpse into the great beyond? New research into the brain's final moments could decode these visions at life's edge.
Has anyone been killed by their own inventions?
Dumb ways to die: inventor edition.
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You can be declared dead, but can you be declared alive?
Being declared dead when you're still alive is a rather sticky situation.
Top 10 most dangerous animals in the world
What is the deadliest animal, killing the most humans each year? If you guessed sharks, you’d be wrong.
This Egyptian mummy was found screaming 90 years ago. Now scientists might know why
3,500 years after she died, this Egyptian mummy is finally revealing her secrets.
What is the Birthday Effect?
This might change your birthday wish.
What does dying feel like? A doctor explains what we know
While we don’t know if anything happens afterwards, we do know exactly what happens in the moments leading up the end. Dr Kathryn Mannix leads you through the last few steps on your body’s journey.
How long should we extend human life?
We’re all getting older. But how long should we be able to keep getting older for?
This is what a near-death experience actually feels like
Near-death experiences are unique. Large portions of people have reported intense visions and increased happiness – but why?
How long does it take for a body to decompose at sea?
If you're planning a burial at sea, the rate at which your body to break down largely depends on whether you pick a tropical or temperate ocean.
If you get swallowed whole by an animal, how long would you stay alive?
It's unlikely you'd be able to crawl out...
What would happen if you fell out of a commercial aircraft?
Thankfully, it's a rare occurrence.
Down on the body farm: The gruesome, but vital forensic facility coming to the UK
Just like language, decomposition is dependent on location. This is why researchers are keen to start studying the dialect of taphonomy here in the UK.
Can a corpse filled with trapped gas explode when cremated?
You were only supposed to blow the doors off... Exploding decomposing bodies are unlikely during cremation unless someone forgot to take the pacemaker out of dear uncle Joe.
How can we deal with all the dead?
More people die every day, but our graveyards aren’t getting any bigger. So what happens when we inevitably start running out of places to put the bodies?
Are we thinking about death wrong in the West?
Everyone who’s alive now – you, your friends, your family – one day won’t be. It’s an unavoidable fact, and yet we often go to great lengths to avoid acknowledging it. Jules Howard explains why that might be a mistake.
Can we cure old age?
Do you want to live forever? Are you sure? Because while you might be up for it, your body isn’t. But there might be things we can do about that.
COVID-19 | How many people have died because of the pandemic?
How can we calculate the true toll of the pandemic?
Sue Black | What stories do our skeletons tell?
Professor Sue Black reveals how forensic anthropologists search for the criminal secrets that are etched on the bones of victims.
COVID-19 | Deaths in England and Wales up 37 per cent due to pandemic
New analysis has counted deaths from all causes, not just COVID-19, to provide a picture of the pandemic across 21 countries.
Sue Black reveals the secrets stored in our bones
Read the full transcript of our Science Focus Podcast interview with Sue Black on the human skeleton – listen to the full episode at the bottom of the page.
Bronze Age musical instruments made from human bone
Radiocarbon dating and CT scanning was used to examine bones from 4,500 years ago.
John Troyer | "Death is part of life, and there is a lot we can learn from it"
There are moments when disease and political protest suddenly make dead bodies far more visible, here are five lessons they can teach us.