What rodent cars can tell us about human joy

Neuroscientist Kelly Lambert and her colleagues taught rats to drive in a mini car. She writes her findings from this unconventional experiment, sharing that positive and fun experiences can sculpt the brain just as powerfully as stressful ones. Click to learn more about how the apparent joy of these rodents seemed to enhance their neuroplasticity.

Supertoxic rat poisons are wreaking havoc on unintended targets, including predator birds, mammals, amphibians, crustaceans, and insects.

Harvard drowned rats for this?

Harvard's 1950s rat study was ethically questionable, but scientifically profound. One rescue attempt made rats swim 40x longer. The finding: hope isn't poetic, it's biological.

A deep dive into how a body decomposes

Dead bodies are, understandably, scary and unsettling. Learn about the fascinating process of decomposition that takes place in every human, and how its teeming with life.

This Indiana medical school encouraged students to get to know their cadavers' families

The school's anatomy professor instructed medical students to think of the cadavers they worked with as their "first patients"—using their names to acknowledge that this was a person and to exchange letters with the cadaver's family members if they agreed to participate. At the conclusion of the course, families were invited to a lab-based memorial service.

Pig organ transplants are apparently kosher—you just can’t eat them

Science writer Mary Roach speaks with journalist Terry Gross about her latest book, “Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy” and discusses topics including why pig organs have become of such interest and what religious leaders have told her about pig organs and compliance with Jewish dietary law.

Some medical schools have phased out human cadavers for digital alternatives

AI-based anatomy tools and digital cadavers are increasingly used to teach students, bypassing the ethical and consent concerns around the use of real bodies. Digital cadavers have also become less expensive than real ones, though the tactile and sensory experiences of real dissection may be irreplaceable.

Why yoga teachers are dissecting cadavers

Thousands of fitness professionals are choosing to attend cadaver workshops to improve their understanding of anatomy and their teaching abilities. Though 3D virtual models give students a fresh way to explore the human body, medical students say experiencing the intricacies in person is far more instructive. As fitness professionals increase their understanding of the muscular and skeletal systems, their movement cues and instructions evolve in tandem.

Watch a pro butcher turn half a pig into eight common meals

The variety of food derived from a pig is enormous—from the common hot dog to delicate capicola. Watch butcher John Ratliff transform this meat into the basis of some of the most well-known meals.

Cadaver dogs are helping archaeologists uncover decaying history

Archaeologists are increasingly relying on dogs to help find decaying bodies at burial sites, some of them up to thousands of years old. This is helping archaeologists to detect past remains without ever touching a shovel, which means there's less...

The medical profession has a dark history of 'body snatching' for education

This term originally referred to secretly removing corpses from graves for sale—usually to medical schools where they were used for education. The practice dates back at least to the 1300s but still—much more rarely—persists today.

Meat raffles are charitable events popular in the Midwest

The events, which take place at bars, often during sporting events, allow you to buy a ticket (usually for a dollar) and earn the chance to win some uncooked meat to take home and throw on the barbecue.

Thanatology is the study of death and dying.

Afterlife traditions help some humans process death

Watch this video discussing concepts of the afterlife presented through an anthropological lens about one family's experience and traditions passed down from one generation to another.

Pig-to-human transplants have raised concerns about pig living conditions

Pigs are the current first choice for xenotransplantation procedures, yet such work gives some researchers and animal welfare advocates pause. Concerns include that pigs would have a poor quality of life since the animals must live in a strictly-controlled, hyper-clean environment to avoid risky pathogens.

Rabies kills more than 50,000 worldwide each year

Rabies transmission to humans typically comes from an infected animal, and death was very common before recent protocols were developed (post-exposure prophylaxis). The virus is neurotropic, which means it has an affinity for nerve tissue, and moves quickly from broadly infecting the body to destroying the brain.

You can sign up to donate your body to science

It's a separate process to donate your body for medical research; you usually must contact a whole-body donation program directly. Bodies can be donated for medical research, for forensic analysis research, or for medical students to work with as they learn anatomy and surgery, among other purposes. Learn more about numerous accredited organizations that provide human bodies, organs, and tissues to medical researchers and students.

'Human composting' is an eco-friendly burial method legal in only a few states

Formally known as natural human organ reduction, this process relies on the same principles as standard composting and breaks down the body over many weeks, turning it into a type of soil. It's currently only legal in a handful of states.

Mummification involves drying a body to preserve it long-term

It was a common and respected practice in many ancient societies. The Egyptians perfected the ritual as part of their religious views of death, believing the dead needed to remain physically intact to reach the afterlife. Mummies were common also in ancient China, Mesoamerica, and the Canary Islands.

Chinese scientists transplanted a pig lung into a human being—but it had to be removed

In August 2025, Chinese scientists transplanted a pig lung into a brain-dead person, a common research step for this type of experimental work. Researchers used CRISPR technology to alter six proteins in the pig genes to make the organ seem less foreign to the human immune system. Within a day there were indications the organ wasn’t functioning well and that the person’s body was rejecting it. Scientists ended the experiment after nine days.

Scientists William Russell and Rex Burch proposed in 1959 that when it comes to animal testing, there should be 'three Rs'—replace animals wherever possible; reduce their numbers; refine how they're treated.

In 2015, a custom virus program was used to destroy and transform art images

At the Art Laboratory Berlin's "bOdy pandemOnium: Immersion into Noise" exhibit, Chicago-born artist Joseph Nechvatal explored viractualism—the interface between the biological and the technological—via a custom virus program that randomly altered images representing the human eye and rectum.

The myths around London's tiniest sculpture

The Philpot Lane mice have been considered London's smallest sculpture for decades, delighting visitors and locals alike. But there's a common story told for why the unusual sculpture—which features two mice fighting for a piece of cheese—was placed there, saying it commemorated the death of a construction worker fighting over a lunch in the 1800s. The author of this article argues the evidence for such a story is lacking. Dive into the obscure history here.

Pig brain cellular activity was restarted hours after death in study published in 2019

Yale University scientists restored basic cellular activity and circulatory function in pig brains about four hours after death with a synthetic cocktail of preservatives and nutrients. This work— which didn't restart electricity activity in the brain or consciousness—could help advance future human stroke and brain injury treatments.

Grieving primate mothers will carry dead infant for long after death—and others will comfort her

An examination of infant corpse carrying practices among non-human primate mothers found that 40 species of primate mothers will carry around their dead infant for days, weeks, or even months. In some cases, a grieving primate's group members would provide grieving support—hugging or staying close to mothers who experienced a loss.

Watch this 2021 video demonstrating a full brain death examination

This video and accompanying article in the peer-reviewed New England Journal of Medicine show the then-standard steps of a full brain death examination—demonstrating the process on a medical dummy to search for pain, blinking, eye movement, cough, gagging, or other forms of responsiveness. (May need to sign up for a free account to view.)

An anthropologist spent years riding garbage trucks to understand what our trash says about us

Robin Nagle rode with New York City sanitation workers to trace the hidden life of what we throw out. Her research explores what the things we discard reveal about who we are. 1440 explores the hidden life of trash.

Exploring the link between history, art, and anatomy

Throughout centuries, art has played a vital role in sharing—and furthering—scientific understanding. This largely began in 1543 when physician Andreas Vesalius worked with an artist and engraver to transform learnings from his dissections into...

Animal brain studies show brain activity similar to what we'd expect during dreams, but parsing whether animals are truly dreaming depends on how one defines dreaming and how scientists could prove it.

Pigs are preferred for xenografts because of their size and low disease risk

Pigs are of particular interest for xenotransplants because the animals are close to human size, are easily raised in captivity, and have large litters. They’re already routined killed for food and they’re less genetically related to humans than nonhuman primates, which reduces disease transmission risks and some researchers’ ethical concerns.

Researchers have investigated the benefits of extreme pain rituals, exploring how and why we engage in these events when humans generally naturally avoid pain and perceive it as a negative experience.

Using mosquitoes to vaccinate bats could curb the spread of deadly diseases.

Your pet might eat you if you die

Cats and dogs can eat their deceased owners. Experts say it typically occurs after days without food and reflects basic survival instincts, rather than aggression, affection loss, or a sudden behavioral shift.

Why is there an archaeologist in my trash can?

Archaeologists have always been interested in rubbish—sites such as waste heaps, middens, and latrines can be some of the richest places to learn about the human past. But the type of rubbish we're leaving behind is changing, and much of it now...

Xenotransplants are an experimental last resort for the terminally ill

David Bennett Sr., the world’s first genetically modified pig heart transplant recipient, explained his reasoning to his University of Maryland Medical Center care team in 2022 regarding why he accepted a pig organ: He was dying and ineligible for a human heart transplant so this was a last-ditch effort, he said. He died two months after receiving the heart.

Whose bodies are held inside the American Museum of Natural History?

The American Museum of Natural History holds the remains of at least 12,000 people collected via purchase, donation, or expedition. This article by a professor of art crime details their attempt to identify the individuals whose remains the museum held. Amid questioning, AMNH announced it would change its human remains policy. At the time of the article's publication in October 2023, AMNH had few human remains on public display.

Cremations are America's top choice for postmortem body treatment

Though this process is the most popular one, more Americans are becoming interested in "green" burials that don't involve slowly degrading coffin materials, toxic embalming fluids or emissions from crematoria.

The tradition of the graveyard picnic

This article from Eater shares a fresh perspective on eating amongst the dead. Writer Tiffany Leigh shares the cultural significance of picnicking in cemeteries during the Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day, which is celebrated in Chinese culture. Her article explains how Qingming can be a tender and lighthearted event to remember the deceased and how that can differ from modern American attitudes toward death and cemeteries.