dying

16 Stories

Nearly 40K Found Dead in Japan in 2024 Lived Alone

Bodies of almost 4K of them weren't found until a month after their deaths

(Newser) - Japan's National Police Agency recently carried out investigations, including autopsies, on more than 100,000 people who died in the island nation during the first half of 2024, and some alarming numbers have emerged from that probe. Per Japanese broadcaster NHK , about one-third of them, or 37,277 people,...

A Flickering Heart Doesn't Mean You're Alive
A Flickering Heart
Doesn't Mean
You're Alive
NEW STUDY
Jan 28, 2021 1:09 PM CST

A Flickering Heart Doesn't Mean You're Alive

In one case, cardiac activity was observed more than 4 minutes after pulse was lost

(Newser) - There can be no question that a person has died and still, their heart may flicker. That's one takeaway from a new study analyzing the final moments of 631 patients taken off life support in Canada, the UK, and the Czech Republic. Researchers were particularly interested to learn "...

Canada Pushes for Big Change to Assisted-Death Law

Country looking to expand eligibility to include those who aren't in immediate risk of dying

(Newser) - Canada's assisted-death law could soon apply to people who aren't in immediate risk of dying. The proposed changes announced Monday would "remove the requirement for a person's natural death to be reasonably foreseeable," Justice Minister David Lametti said, per Reuters . People suffering solely from mental...

Dying in This Tiny Town Is Against the Law

Longyearbyen wants to stave off infections

(Newser) - A recent anthrax outbreak in Russia seems to confirm what a Norwegian town already knew—that dying should remain illegal, WN.com reports. The Arctic town of Longyearbyen, where 2,100 people brave bitter temperatures, has outlawed death since 1950. The reason: Permafrost keeps bodies from decomposing in the town...

Dying Woman's Advice for Living Touches Thousands

Holly Butcher wanted us to 'enjoy the bloody moment'

(Newser) - They're simple words of advice from a 27-year-old Australian woman, but they've touched thousands around the world. News.com.au reports on an emotional letter penned by Holly Butcher, who died Thursday, months after she was diagnosed with a terminal cancer. The note—which family members were instructed...

After Their Spouses' High-Profile Deaths Came ... Love

The unlikely/likely match: 'When Breath Becomes Air' widow, 'The Bright Hour' widower

(Newser) - The memoirs were published to praise and, in both cases, posthumously. Paul Kalanithi's When Breath Becomes Air was released in 2016 and chronicled the 37-year-old's experience with lung cancer; the next year came The Bright Hour from Nina Riggs, a woman whose life was cut short by breast...

What Happens When We Prolong Dying
What Happens When
We Prolong Dying
essay
Oct 27, 2017 12:05 PM CDT

What Happens When We Prolong Dying

Dr. Sara Manning Peskin writes of the complications

(Newser) - In the hours before we die, regardless of the cause, we're likely to experience one or more of three common "symptoms," Dr. Sara Manning Peskin previously explained for the New York Times. But what if dying takes months? In a new piece for the Times , Peskin, a...

3 Symptoms to Expect When You're Dying
Many Experience
'Death Rattle'
Before They Die
in case you missed it
Jul 1, 2017 11:59 AM CDT

Many Experience 'Death Rattle' Before They Die

Or 2 other symptoms that appear to precede death, neurology resident says

(Newser) - The disease or malady or stroke of misfortune that will ultimately kill you is likely different from the one that will kill me. But our final hours will likely be quite similar, or so says Dr. Sara Manning Peskin in a piece for the New York Times . Peskin, a neurology...

Days After Death, a Body Remains Alive
2 Days After Death,
Some Life
Continues
in Body
NEW STUDY
Jan 25, 2017 6:45 PM CST

2 Days After Death, Some Life Continues in Body

Active genes may be attempting to repair damage: study

(Newser) - Death is more like the slow shutdown of a computer than the flipping off of a light switch, says a scientist, explaining a new study that shows genes in the body remain alive for about two days after the heart stops. In the study of mice and zebrafish, University of...

Kids Under 5 in Nigeria Have 'Just Vanished'

Starvation, disease are killing thousands of children in Boko Haram-infested region: survey

(Newser) - Thousands of children have died of starvation and disease in Boko Haram-ravaged northeastern Nigeria, Doctors Without Borders said Tuesday, quoting a new survey that's forcing Nigerian officials to stop denying the crisis. The Paris-based group hopes official recognition of the calamity in which "thousands are dying" will help...

Half of Columbia River Salmon Are in Hot Water— and Dying

Officials are desperately trying to cool the water down

(Newser) - More than a quarter-million sockeye salmon returning from the ocean to spawn are either dead or dying in the Columbia River and its tributaries due to warming water temperatures. Federal and state fishery biologists say water that's 5 to 6 degrees warmer is wiping out at least half of...

New Service Will Send Email From Beyond the Grave

'Yahoo Ending' will delete documents, deactivate accounts, more

(Newser) - With a quarter of Japan's population already 65 and older, a new service from Yahoo Japan called Yahoo Ending aims to help people plan for their own afterlives, including the digital details. For $1.80 a month, subscribers can plan their funerals, manage their posthumous online content, and create...

Dying Dad Writes 800 Notes for Daughter's Lunch

Virginia man has cancer, but wants to fulfill a promise

(Newser) - Garth Callaghan has been leaving inspirational notes with his daughter's lunch since her days in kindergarten—but now that he's dying of cancer, they both know that one day the notes will have to stop. So he's writing hundreds of them ahead of time to fulfill his...

Italian Village Outlaws Death
 Italian Village Outlaws Death 
Mar 13, 2012 8:59 AM CDT

Italian Village Outlaws Death

No going six feet under in Falciano del Massico

(Newser) - The Italian village of Falciano del Massico isn't just cheating death—it's banned it altogether. Since the beginning of March, the town's 3,700 residents simply haven't been allowed to expire. The AP calls it a "tongue-in-cheek decree," noting that the odd declaration stems...

Top 5 Dying Regrets
 Top 5 Dying Regrets 
Feb 4, 2012 9:08 AM CST

Top 5 Dying Regrets

No 1: I wasn't true to myself

(Newser) - What are the most common regrets of people on their death beds? An Australian palliative nurse named Bronnie Ware, who spent years tending to patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives, compiled a top-five list in book form . Here's a peek, from the Guardian :

What to Do When a Loved One Is Ready to Die

Listen, say experts. And prepare to be sad

(Newser) - When Zoe FitzGerald Carter's mother told her she wanted to end her life, her first reaction "was to try to dissuade her." A year later, an intentional overdose of morphine granted her mother, who had suffered from advanced Parkinson's disease, her wish. It left Carter asking an endless...

16 Stories