death

Humans have seen a significant increase in life expectancy over the past 200 years — but not in overall lifespan. Nobody on record has lived past 122 years. So, for this early Halloween episode, host Regina G. Barber asks: Why do we age and why do we die? Microbiologist Venki Ramakrishnan explains some of the mechanisms inside of our bodies that contribute to our decay — and tells us if it's possible to intervene in the process. Curious about other biology news? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might cover your topic on a future episode!

A new memorial to the victims of COVID-19 now stretches down S. Alamo and Market streets. It consists of one red heart for every person that has died in Bexar County.

One of the certainties of life is death, so we might as well plan for it. Although medical advancements have improved health and wellness, extended…

In 2009, the Affordable Care Act was still a bill making its way through congress. One proposal, which many considered modest, was trying to mandate…

Dr. Dan Swangard doesn't know if he would take lethal medications to hasten death. But as someone with metastatic cancer, he wants to have that choice. He's part of a suit to change California law.

Tuberculosis (TB) is not commonly thought of in Texas or the US., but it killed 1.3 million people in the world last year and ranks second only to…

In the first segment: A recent poll from the Pew research center focused on the how Americans think about end-of-life medical treatments. Should doctors…