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Death

The interior of an ancient Egyptian tomb.

New Research

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"

History of Now

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.

Age of Humans

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.

Age of Humans

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.

Trending Today

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.

New Research

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.

Cool Finds

Copenhagen Has a Cemetery for Homeless People

But proper burials for indigent individuals remain few and far between

Trending Today

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."

Cool Finds

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

The site where workers found crypts just a few feet beneath the surface.

Construction Workers Find 200-Year-Old Bodies Buried Just a Few Feet Below Greenwich Village

Two crypts uncovered near Washington Square Park a reminder of New York City’s past

The rapidly moving Mount Baldy dune has consumed everything in its sandy wake, including fungus-ridden black oak trees that are thought to be the source of the mysterious tunnels.

New Research

New Insights Behind the Sand Dunes That Swallowed a Boy

Scientists have confirmed that fungus-ridden trees are to blame

Live near a cemetery? Better check your drinking water.

Arsenic and Old Graves: Civil War-Era Cemeteries May Be Leaking Toxins

The poisonous element, once used in embalming fluids, could be contaminating drinking water as corpses rot

Hartsdale is the world's oldest operating pet cemetery.

Commune With Pets of the Past at These Five Pet Cemeteries

Far from scary, these burial sites can be relaxing, beautiful and even inspiring

Six ivory combs were also excavated from the tomb.

Cool Finds

The Incredible Treasures Found Inside the ‘Griffin Warrior’ Tomb

Why was a Mycenaean soldier buried with so many riches?

Images of survivors of the Herero genocide foreshadowed similar scenes from the liberation of Nazi death camps

A Brutal Genocide in Colonial Africa Finally Gets its Deserved Recognition

Activist Israel Kaunatjike journeyed from Namibia to Germany, only to discover a forgotten past that has connections to his own family tree

Cool Finds

This Halloween, Who Wants to Spend a Night in the Paris Catacombs?

Airbnb is looking for two brave souls to sleep with the dead

Cool Finds

If You Die in This Video Game, You Can Never Play Again

How do people play when dead means dead?

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