Unclaimed dead bodies are often "donated" to science — but it’s not always consensual
Working with cadavers in an anatomy lab is often a humbling and monumental moment in a doctor’s career. Students spend hours toiling over dead bodies with gratitude and reverence for the donation that allows them to practice and learn about human anatomy in their journey to become healers. Only, sometimes, these cadavers are not truly donated — and the dead person never consented to have their body dismembered.
Paris Catacombs Reveal Millions Buried After Centuries
Under the modern streets of Paris, there’s a system of catacombs that houses the bones of millions of people whose bodies were unceremoniously dumped down quarry shafts as the city expanded. Now, a team of researchers is delving into the site to try and determine what killed these people and when exactly they perished to track the history of disease and medical practice at the time they lived. This is surprisingly the first time that the Paris catacombs have been excavated for scientific study, and the project could yield valuable insight into human history.
From Roots to Wraps: The Plants Behind Ancient Mummification
The vibrant foliage of the summer months has cleared away, leaving brittle skeletons. We horticulturists prepare our gardens for the afterlife — ushering leaves into designated areas, clearing certain plants of last year’s growth – in a yearly practice that is part pragmatic, part ritual. Similarly, ancient cultures carried out their own practices to prepare human and animal souls for the afterlife. As the garden dies back and our thoughts turn spooky, let’s put some horticultural context into the practice of mummification.
Homeowner Finally Cleans Up Overgrown Front Yard, Uncovers Creepy Cemetery
A homeowner finally got around to cleaning up his overgrown front yard, only to discover headstones and rocks appearing to mark old grave sites. It's been a couple of years since the man bought the property he lives on, and clearing the large yard's wild vegetation had been low on his to-do list. Once he began, however, he ran into an unexpected obstacle.