How Beethoven’s Skull got to San Jose
Beethoven died in his Vienna apartment on March 26, 1827. He was fifty-six; the cause of death was dropsy, an infectious disease common to fish. ...
Author: Justin Nobel
Digital Dying is written by Justin Nobel, whose stories about science, culture and travel have appeared in publications such as the Chicago Tribune, Audubon, Gourmet.com, Nunatsiaq News, Point Reyes Light and The Smart Set www.justinnobel.com. Comments and ideas can be sent to justinnobel@gmail.com.
Death dogs could be replaced by electronic noses
Cadaver dogs have been sniffing around Phillip Garrido's backyard.
Want a necklace made of fingertips?
A necklace of phalanges costs $165 and a cross of metacarpal goes for $80 on Columbine Phoenix’s website.
Death Panels refuted, but not in Serbia, Japan or the Arctic
The elderly are a burden and should bow out, saving society money.
Building Cities for the dead off the Florida Coast
Off the coast of Key Biscayne, Florida, a city of the dead is rising.
Zombies stalk the streets, from Alabama to Alaska
A ragtag mob with ashen, blood smeared faces and darkened eyes roamed downtown San Diego two weeks ago, flailing their arms, searching for brains. They ...
Poor people not wanted in cemeteries
Putting the poor to rest in a sanctioned spot is common practice across the United States.
Transform mother’s corpse into Mona Lisa
"Families wanting a lasting celebration of their loved ones’ memories can now consult with an international artist who will lovingly mix a portion of their ...
Weirder than Michael Jackson’s death: Aristocrats
Michael Jackson is still missing his brain but it has been a pretty normal after-death, considering. The afterworld of royalty can be much stranger...
Michael Jackson’s death is good for umbrella sales
Jumillah Galvez sold 72 Michael T-shirts in 30 minutes earlier this week but now all anyone seems to care about is when the next batch ...
In Paris, a drunken poet lives forever
Bob Hickey arrived in Paris and went straight to the cemetery.
In one Appalachia town, pets never die
Naomi is a cat and has been curled in the same spot on her favorite couch for seven years.
Dead more than 10,000 times, and still living
Joan Harvey has written over 10,000 obituaries for The Oregonian, Portland, Oregon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper.
In Japan, everything is a beautiful corpse
Outside, wind-whipped snow piles high but inside the trim room there are pineapples and candles on an altar, a family seated patiently on pillows on ...
Computerized bugles honor the dead, irk the living
“How could this be? Those who were courageous enough to fight and give their lives for our freedom honored with a tape player!” declares an ...
