Though she was declared brain-dead by the hospital that treated her, Jahi McMath has remained on a ventilator for four years. Her family and a neurologist argue that she’s still very much alive, challenging the long-held notions of what it means to be dead.
science
Posted inReading List
Longreads Best of 2017: Science, Technology, and Business Writing
We asked writers and editors to choose some of their favorite stories of the year in various categories. Here is the best in business, tech, and science writing.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes, Science & Nature
The Planet Is Pissed and Wants You Outta Here
Massive volcanic events are the cause of most global mass extinctions. When will the next one destroy life on earth?
Posted inCrime, Nonfiction, Quotes
The Big Black Market for Spare Human Body Parts
Beware, should you donate your body to science in the US. Lightly regulated, the industry is ripe for fraudsters trying to make a buck on your personage.
Posted inEditor's Pick
What Happens If China Makes First Contact?
The Atlantic‘s Ross Andersen travels to China to visit the world’s largest radio dish built for seeking out extraterrestrial intelligence. On the trip he meets Liu Cixin, China’s preeminent science-fiction writer, for a wide-ranging discussion about the risks of making contact.
Posted ininvestigations, Nonfiction, Quotes, Science & Nature
The Aftermarket for (Human) Spare Parts
“What they are doing is profiting from the sale of humans.”
Posted inCrime, Nonfiction, Quotes
Bringing Up the Bodies: How NecroSearch Helps Police to Locate the Dead
Why do they volunteer their time in such a grisly enterprise? To bring closure to the families of the dead.
Posted inBlog Post, Science & Nature
What Makes a Disability Undesirable?
Should we try to correct disabilities to help the disabled, or make their existence easier for the abled?
Posted inQuotes, Science & Nature
The Dream of a Perfect Android
Hiroshi Ishiguro has spent his career creating robots. But does he know enough about humans to make them lifelike?
Posted inEditor's Pick
We Should Be Talking About the Effect of Climate Change on Cities
But we’re not. Instead, the effects on cities tend to be edited out or statistically minimized. An excerpt from Extreme Cities: The Peril and Promise of Urban Life in the Age of Climate Change by Ashley Dawson.