io9: Death

10 Reasons to go Back to Bed

Robert T. Gonzalez — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:16:01 PST

It's Monday. For most of us, that means it's back to the grind — whether that grind be work, school, or some other scheduled obligation. Unfortunately for weekend warriors everywhere, these obligations typically require us to get up earlier than we'd choose if it were up to us. More »

The bizarre story of where ancient Pompeii put its trash

Alasdair Wilkins — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:30:00 PST

As far as the people of ancient Pompeii were concerned, dead bodies and trash were basically the same thing, at least in terms of where they ended up. And that isn't even the grossest place Pompeii put its trash. More »

Unlike those in Futurama, the real-life suicide booth used lots of fire

Cyriaque Lamar — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 14:10:00 PST

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You may be familiar with the suicide booths of Futurama fame, but the automated death machine was perfected 20 years earlier. This is Erik Hobijn's 1990 performance art piece "The Delusion of Self Immolation," a machine that requires the participant to get sprayed in flames (and fire-resistant gel, of course). And no, this piece didn't come with a "clumsy bludgeoning" option. More »

10 Bodily Functions That Continue After Death

Esther Inglis-Arkell — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 10:00:00 PST

Death doesn't need to stop you from doing all the things you enjoy, as long as the things you enjoy are pretty basic. Certain bodily functions continue for minutes, hours, days, and even weeks after death. You will not believe the kind of things a dead body will do with its now-copious amount of time. More »

A simple test to determine if someone's been dead for more than 12 hours

Esther Inglis-Arkell — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 07:00:00 PDT

Want to know a simple observation that helps forensic scientists figure out A.) how long a body has been dead; and B.) if it's been tampered with? Serial killers: Please don't read the section below. More »

The Tower For The Dead, a skyscraper cemetery that goes straight down

Cyriaque Lamar — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 07:30:00 PDT

We've seen concept art for space-saving vertical necropoles and inverted Mexico City skyscrapers before — here's a design that combines the two. More »

The scariest deaths you've watched on screen, and how they would really happen

Esther Inglis-Arkell — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 09:00:00 PDT

Whenever we watch the Saw movies, or a particularly gruesome episode of The Tudors, people bite the big one in extremely awful ways. Although the sight is repulsive, we still want to take a peek because we're a little bit curious. What would the scariest kinds of death be like, and how long would they take? More »

Can you be killed by a champagne cork?

Esther Inglis-Arkell — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:30:00 PDT

There is a "fact" going around the internet that a person is more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than a poisonous spider. But can a champagne cork really murder a human being? More »

In certain South American cultures, epileptics are "the undead," trapped between life and death

Cyriaque Lamar — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 15:55:00 PDT

An interesting paper on the cultural dimensions of epilepsy among the Guaraní people of South America has recently come to our attention. More »

"Death Panels" don't hurt patients

Tim Barribeau — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 16:30:00 PDT

During the health care reform debate in the U.S., one of the talking points against the move was that of "death panels," a term used to vilify a standard and important talk that have with patients with patients: the end-of-life care discussion. The specific part of the legislation — which was eventually dropped — merely meant that health care providers would be reimbursed for holding voluntary counseling sessions to help patients make end-of-life care decisions More »

Liquify your dead body - for the earth!

Esther Inglis-Arkell — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 07:00:00 PDT

At this point there are so many people on Earth that our deaths can be ecologically damaging. What's the greenest way to die? Scientists have found that resomation, liquifying a dead body, is the best way to have the least impact on the planet. More »

Mass grave reveals 1,000 year old Viking massacre

Alasdair Wilkins — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 12:32:33 PDT

And no, not the type of massacre where Vikings go around killing people: these Vikings were brutally killed by Englishmen ten centuries ago. It's the first archaeological evidence of an anti-Viking mass slaughter known as the St. Brice's Day Massacre. More »

Before you kick the bucket, be sure to don your Mushroom Death Suit

Cyriaque Lamar — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 16:45:00 PDT

Designer Jae Rhim Lee is concerned about the carcinogenic affects of the funerary preservative formaldehyde. That's why she's invented the Infinity Burial Suit — a.k.a. the Mushroom Death Suit — a postmortem garment designed to consume the wearer's corpse. More »

Taiwan's funeral strippers dance for a dead crowd

Cyriaque Lamar — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 09:00:00 PDT

Should you meet your demise in Taiwan, a funerary option open to you is the Electric Flower Car (EFC), a wheeled, neon-lit platform upon which pulchritudinous women strip down to their skivvies for the benefit of audiences...both living and deceased. More »

Epidemiologists reveal that black men in America have a better survival rate in prison than outside

Annalee Newitz — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 16:56:50 PDT

Being in prison could save your life - depending on your racial background. A group of epidemiologists studying patterns of death among prisoners have discovered that black men in prison die at much lower rates than black men outside. More »

The true story of the fellow who lived in his wife's tomb

Cyriaque Lamar — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 19:40:00 PDT

When Jonathan Reed's wife, Mary, died in 1893, the widower didn't want to leave her side. In fact, he was so devoted he moved in to her tomb, where he lived (with a parrot) for over 10 years. More »

U.S. Life Expectancy Lags Behind Most Industrialized Nations

Tim Barribeau — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 07:40:00 PDT

Making fun of America's healthcare system is low-hanging fruit for many international commentators, what with the lack of universal coverage, incredibly high per capita costs, and frequent bankruptcies. Now a new study has been released showing that life expectancies for most US counties falls behind other industrialized nations. More »

Chart reveals what natural disaster is most likely to kill you in America

Annalee Newitz — Wed, 18 May 2011 14:27:42 PDT

A couple of years ago, two geographers created one of the most chilling maps you'll ever see - it shows what kinds of natural hazards are most likely to kill you in America. And which regions are the most deadly. More »

You probably shouldn't advertise The Walking Dead on the side of your funeral home

Cyriaque Lamar — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:20:48 PDT

The Co-operative Funeralcare funeral home in Consett, County Durham, England has been the subject of unwanted public scrutiny after a billboard company affixed an advertisement for The Walking Dead to side of their building. More »

Want to sucker overzealous developers? Build a fake graveyard

Cyriaque Lamar — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:30:00 PDT

At least that seems to be the scam in China. Over at Asia Obscura, blogmaster Dean Pickles has reported seeing scattershot graveyards appearing on farmland throughout the Beijing suburbs. More »

Having your body shattered like a frozen liquid Terminator is good for the Earth

Esther Inglis-Arkell — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 07:00:00 PST

There are a lot of ways to deal with a person's body after he or she is done using it. Their last remains can be buried, burned, put in trees, or donated to science. But one Swedish company has a different approach to sending people off to their final rewards. Freeze drying. Just like the liquid T-1000 in Terminator 2. It turns out to be one of the greenest ways to go. More »

Neil Gaiman's 1994 safe sex PSA starring Death from Sandman and John Constantine

Cyriaque Lamar — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:46:13 PST

In 1994, Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean of Sandman created this HIV awareness PSA comic designed for a high school readership. The comic starred everyone's favorite goth anthropomorphic depiction of Death, an abashed John Constantine, and a banana. More »

Traffic noise can give you a stroke

Tim Barribeau — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:00:00 PST

Live near a major road? You may be shortening your lifespan. In a major Danish study of over 50,000 people, those aged 65+ suffered a higher chance of stroke if they lived near traffic. Every 10 decibels of noise increased the risk by 27%, and that rate increased even higher over 60 decibels. The researchers attribute as many as 19% of stroke cases to this problem. The lesson: Now that you've retired, stop parking out by the airport to get stoned and watch the planes come in overhead. Get stoned in the forest instead. More »

If Christmas doesn’t kill you, New Year’s Eve just might

NCBI ROFL — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 15:00:00 PST

The intrepid researchers at NCBI ROFL report on a paper that deals with Christmas and New Year as risk factors for death. More »

By 2030, 69% of global deaths will be from non-communicable diseases

Tim Barribeau — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:50:09 PST

As part of a series of articles on chronic disease, The Lancet has published a piece showing that by 2030, 7 out of 10 deaths internationally will be from chronic non-communicable diseases, and that low- and middle-income countries don't have the infrastructure in place to deal with this future. More »

New comics pit Ed Brubaker's Incognito against Death and Lex Luthor

Cyriaque Lamar — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 09:35:38 PDT

The media may be in a tizzy about Clark Kent's swank new duds in Superman: Earth One, but there are many reasons to get excited this Wednesday. Death debuts in Action Comics and Ed Brubaker's Incognito is back! More »

Spooky Science: Lightning can come into your house after all

Esther Inglis-Arkell — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 07:30:00 PDT

Lightning can do a lot more than ruin your electronics. It can climb through the plumbing into your house and zap you to death. More »

We ask Paul Cornell about Lex Luthor's "death" in Action Comics and the British Batman

Cyriaque Lamar — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 13:45:00 PDT

We recently chatted with Doctor Who scribe and DC Comics writer Paul Cornell about his plans for Lex Luthor, London's premiere crimefighting force Knight and Squire, and what it's like to work with Neil Gaiman. More »

The skyscraper necropolis of Mumbai

Cyriaque Lamar — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 10:35:00 PDT

Cemetery space is in short supply in dense metropolitan areas, so designers Yalin Fu & Ihsuan Lin have created plans for the Moshka Tower in Mumbai, India. This interdenominational, greenery-swaddled vertical cemetery encompasses four of Mumbai's major faiths. More »

How to fossilize yourself for future generations

Esther Inglis-Arkell — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 09:00:00 PDT

Find a way to guarantee that in ten thousand years your fossilized bones will be prodded at by lab-coat-wearing beings who are taller and have better teeth and prehensile tails. More »

A house built for a man who expects to die in the next 15 years

Cyriaque Lamar — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 15:00:00 PDT

This house by Eastern Design Office was built for a client who expects his death sometime in the next decade and a half. Its layout is loaded with symbolism, particularly its avoidance of sunsets. More »

The 5 most tear-jerking X-Men deaths

Cyriaque Lamar — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:16:53 PDT

Out of all the superteams in comics, the X-Men always seem to rack up the highest body counts. It's like dying is their mutant power! In any case, here are the weepiest passings in X-history. More »

10 ways to party hard (from beyond the grave)

Cyriaque Lamar — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:35:08 PDT

Just because you've got a mouthful of formaldehyde (instead of Jägermeister) doesn't mean you have to give up your party-hearty ~~lifestyle~~ deathstyle! Here are 10 documented ways you can become a weekend warrior for all eternity. More »

How Chimpanzees Mourn Their Dead

Tim Barribeau — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:00:29 PDT

Chimpanzees are our closest primate relative, and have a number of behaviors we once thought were human only: they empathize, cooperate, and have a sense of self. But how do they deal with the most distressing event possible — death? More »

Five Ways You Probably Wouldn’t Die In a Vacuum, and One Way You Probably Would

Esther Inglis-Arkell — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:04:35 PDT

No space travel movie would be complete without someone getting shoved out of an airlock and dying horribly. This handy guide will help you ascertain how fake these airlockings really are - and get over your fear of sliding doors. More »

Terry Pratchett Argues For Assisted Death

Annalee Newitz — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:30:00 PST

Since his Alzheimer's diagnosis, Discworld author Terry Pratchett has become a vocal advocate for people's right to die when faced with extremely debilitating diseases. He explained how the state might regulate "assisted death" in an intelligent, moving speech. More »

RIP Zelda Rubinstein, Our Favorite Movie Psychic

Meredith Woerner — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:00:03 PST

Beloved movie psychic, Zelda Rubinstein, passed away Wednesday Jan. 27th. Best known for her work as Tangina Barrons from the Poltergeist movies, Zelda was the spark that made that franchise eternal. Hope to see you on the other side. More »

Man Dies After Avatar Screening, And China Pulls Avatar From Theaters

Meredith Woerner — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:00:00 PST

Two pieces of sad news around James Cameron's Avatar. Reports claim a 42-year-man died of a stroke after watching Avatar. Meanwhile, find out why China is cancelling Avatar showings. More »

Alien Cheerleaders Marry Sergey Brin: Google Embraces Weekly World News

Meredith Woerner — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 06:30:00 PST

The paper that uncovered Bigfoot's love slaves, Bat Boy and Hillary Clinton's alien affairs, is finally getting its place in journalism history. Weekly World News has been archived on Google Books. Check out the gallery of our favorite outlandish stories. More »