Death

Is it disrespectful to sell a literary great’s remains—or is the stunt worthy of Capote himself?

Love Truman Capote? Buy His Ashes

Is the sale of Capote’s earthy remains a gauche publicity stunt or an act worthy of the audacious author?

Some Genes Remain "Alive" for Days After the Body Dies

Studies in animals show that even when a creature has ceased to live, some genes are still busy doing their thing

A pile of discarded prayer flags lays in front of Mount Everest, which claimed four lives in just four days over the weekend.

Four People Have Died on Everest in as Many Days

The mountain's terrible toll has set the 2016 climbing season off to a rocky start

A cross marks the Austrian line in the Pasubio mountains, a relic of their 1916 “Punishment Expedition.”

The Most Treacherous Battle of World War I Took Place in the Italian Mountains

Even amid the carnage of the war, the battle in the Dolomites was like nothing the world had ever seen—or has seen since

The Black Sea's fish stocks have been plummeting as of late and may be beyond repair.

The Black Sea Is Dying, and War Might Push it Over the Edge

Surrounded by six countries, all with their own agendas, the massive body of water is at risk of becoming another casualty of regional strife

Mountaineers Have Discovered the Bodies of Alex Lowe and David Bridges

The climbers died in an avalanche on Shishapangma in 1999

Cemeteries of the Future

Do you want to be buried in a coral reef, a skyscraper or on an artificial island?

Ancient Mayan skull and bones remain in a Mexican sinkhole, remnants of a long-ago human sacrifice. The victims of sacrifice in Mayan rituals were varied, ranging from slaves to captive rulers of other lands.

Human Sacrifices May Lie Behind the Rise of Ancient Social Status

Dark practices may have helped the elite keep the lower classes in line, a new study hints

The interior of an ancient Egyptian tomb.

3,400-Year-Old Necropolis Hints at Ancient Egyptian Life

Dozens of tombs and a temple were uncovered in an ancient quarry

Flatline on a heart monitor

The Lazarus Phenomenon, Explained: Why Sometimes, the Deceased Are Not Dead, Yet

What does CPR have to do with the curious case of clinically dead patients coming “back to life”?

Newspapers chronicled gun incidents, referring to them as "melancholy accidents"

When Newspapers Reported on Gun Deaths as "Melancholy Accidents"

A historian explains how a curious phrase used by the American press caught his eye and became the inspiration for his new book

David Baker directing the SJMO in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall

Jazz Legend David Baker’s Soaring Legacy

Smithsonian's maestro, a founding director of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, has died at the age of 84

Wild vultures in Mongolia are key components of sky burials.

Podcast: Why Sky Burials Are Vanishing in Mongolia

In this episode of Generation Anthropocene, urbanization and environmental decline put a sacred ritual for the dead at risk

This casket was made from reclaimed wood. At "green cemeteries" around the country, there is a movement to use fewer harmful chemicals and non-renewable resources in funerals and burials.

Could the Funeral of the Future Help Heal the Environment?

A traditional ten-acre cemetery holds enough embalming fluid to fill a small swimming pool. But there may be a greener way

Polar explorer Henry Worsley (right) with Prince William of Britain in October, 2015.

Antarctic Explorer Dies 30 Miles Short of Goal

Henry Worsley nearly crossed Antarctica, unaided

Only a portion of the scores of children buried at the former Florida School for Boys were located in its graveyard. The majority of students were buried elsewhere in unmarked, undocumented graves.

Archaeologists Finally Know What Happened at This Brutal Reform School

The Florida School for Boys did anything but rehabilitate its students

Assistens Cemetery in Copenhagen, Denmark is the resting place of Hans Christian Andersen. Now, it will mark the home for the city's homeless, as well.

Copenhagen Has a Cemetery for Homeless People

But proper burials for indigent individuals remain few and far between

Archivists Are Trying to Preserve Paris’ Post-Attack Memorials

Future generations will know how Parisians responded to attacks in their city

This 19th-century cartoon depicts a corpse brought back to life through the power of "galvanism."

How Twitching Frog Legs Helped Inspire 'Frankenstein'

Galvanism sought to reanimate the dead—and in doing so provided the impetus for one of literature's most famously frightful books

A woman in traditional Aymara dress sits with her daughter and their honored human skull, or ñatita, and a bag of coca leaves during the 2015 Fiesta de las Ñatitas in Bolivia.

Meet the Celebrity Skulls of Bolivia’s Fiesta de las Ñatitas

Each November, the Aymara people honor their special bond with the helpful spirits of the deceased

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