death

It is a common human problem not being able to see the forest for the trees. The other day Senator Claire McCaskill was choking at a lunch with colleagues.

With right-to-die legislation in its fledgling stages in the United States, the bioethics surrounding assisted suicide are in play as they haven’t been in the past.

In a rapid series of progressively escalating press releases by the Illinois Department of Public Health, it appears that a da

Watching an autopsy has a way of changing one's view on death. Every single one of us – rich, poor, white, black, male, female, religious, atheist – will one day be on a cold metallic cart with a tag on our toe.

Unlike our ancestors, who encountered it often, members of our modern society seem strangely detached from death. Many people have never even seen a dead body.

   

What happens when we die? This question is both existential and biological. While scientists cannot address the first, they certainly can address the second. What happens to your body after you die is not pretty.

clinical trial via shutterstock

The period immediately following the death of a spouse or other loved one has traditionally been associ