10 new things we’ve learned about death

If you don't want to know anything about your death, consider this your spoiler warning.

  • For centuries cultures have personified death to give this terrifying mystery a familiar face.
  • Modern science has demystified death by divulging its biological processes, yet many questions remain.
  • Studying death is not meant to be a morbid reminder of a cruel fate, but a way to improve the lives of the living.
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Culture & Religion

The science of why we can’t live forever

Here's why stars fade out — and so do we.

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  • According to scientists the reason we die is because the second law of thermodynamics and natural selection.
  • The whole universe runs down, so, ultimately, even if you could lengthen your lifespan indefinitely, the universe itself will eventually die in a heat death.
  • We die, one predominant view goes, so that our progeny may live — because there are limited resources.
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Across the world, women outlive men — here's why

Why do women live longer than men? New data from the WHO tackles age-old questions about longevity.

Photo credit: ALEXEY GROMOV / AFP / Getty Images

What could add almost four and a half years to your life?

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Surprising Science

Longer lifespans: A coming crisis or reason to celebrate?

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  • A huge segment of America's population — the Baby Boom generation — is aging and will live longer than any American generation in history.
  • The story we read about in the news? Their drain on social services like Social Security and Medicare.
  • But increased longevity is a cause for celebration, says Ashton Applewhite, not doom and gloom.


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Vikings unwittingly made their swords stronger by trying to imbue them with spirits

They didn't know it, but the rituals of Iron Age Scandinavians turned their iron into steel.

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  • Iron Age Scandinavians only had access to poor quality iron, which put them at a tactical disadvantage against their neighbors.
  • To strengthen their swords, smiths used the bones of their dead ancestors and animals, hoping to transfer the spirit into their blades.
  • They couldn't have known that in so doing, they actually were forging a rudimentary form of steel.
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Culture & Religion