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"It was just an acknowledgment of the love that went into her baking," Richard Dawson says of his mother's recipe epitaph.
cemeteries

The Family Recipes That Live On in Cemeteries

Around the world, recipe gravestones tell stories of love, grief, and remembrance.
Sam O'Brien October 31, 2023
This mural from the Necropolis at Shaykh 'Abd al-Qurnah depicts the embalming process.
mummies

Ancient Egyptians May Have Spiced Their Mummies

Most ingredients in embalming perfumes were good enough to eat.
Diana Hubbell October 25, 2023
After death, an individual's heart was weighed; hearts heavy with sin were devoured by the terrifying Ammit, a chimera of ancient Egypt's most feared predators: crocodile, lion, and hippopotamus.
mummies

In Ancient Egypt, Judgement of the Dead Was Severe

To enter the realm of Osiris, the dead had to complete a long to-do list—and face a terrifying devourer of souls.
Nicky Nielsen October 24, 2023
There are at least 20 Māori names for the New Zealand fantail, a beloved native bird often seen as a messenger between worlds.
maori

Does the New Zealand Fantail Connect the Human and Spirit Realms?

The bird is sometimes considered an omen of death, but in Māori tradition, that's just one part of its story.
Roxanne Hoorn October 20, 2023
By the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC), both royals and non-royals were buried with dozens of figurines known as shabti, which would serve them in the afterlife.
ancient

In Ancient Egypt, Human Sacrifice and Shabti Figures Ensured an Afterlife of Servitude

Clay figurines and murdered retainers provided plenty of company—and a workforce—for the dead.
Nicky Nielsen October 17, 2023
After you die, bacteria harvest your body for the nutrients that help push daisies.
science

When You Die, Your Necrobiome Recycles You

An environmental microbiologist explains why an individual's death is a new lease on life for an entire ecosystem.
Jennifer DeBruyn October 16, 2023
The deathwatch beetle found in the United Kingdom, <em>Xestobium rufovillosum</em>, was once considered an omen of death.
science

The Truth Behind the Deathwatch Beetle's Creepy Tap-Tap-Tapping

In the United Kingdom, the insects were once considered omens of death—they're actually much more destructive.
Roxanne Hoorn October 11, 2023
Elaborately inscribed false doors in tombs of the elite allowed family and friends to leave offerings that ensured the dead would want for nothing in the afterlife.
ancient

In Ancient Egypt, Soul Houses and False Doors Connected the Living and the Dead

Rich or poor, you could reach out to friends and family in the afterlife—and communication went both ways.
Nicky Nielsen October 10, 2023
cemeteries

Podcast: Grave Bells

We learn about a peculiar belief that was once widespread: the hope to be saved by a bell.
The Podcast Team October 5, 2023
The small interior of a chapel with a small mosaic floor arched roof and two coffins.
Carrick-On-Shannon, Ireland

Costello Memorial Chapel

The smallest chapel in Europe is a moving testament to the love between a husband and wife.
Each night during his journey across the netherworld, the sun god Ra's barque crosses the desert Rostau, realm of the falcon god Sokar, borne by snakes.
maps

In Ancient Egypt, the Duat Was a Netherworld of Gods and Monsters

A guide called the Amduat helped pharaohs navigate the complex afterlife.
Nicky Nielsen October 3, 2023
Lewisburg, West Virginia

Greenbrier County Courthouse

Step into the courtroom to learn details of the only case in history where ghostly testimony led to a murderer's conviction.
The limestone canopic jars of lady Senetnay featured lids shaped like human heads. Two jars are kept at the Museum August Kestner in Hanover, Germany.
mummies

Get a Whiff of Ancient Egypt’s 'Scent of Eternity'

Experts reconstructed the smell of mummified organs—and it’s actually pretty pleasant.
Roxanne Hoorn September 14, 2023
The eruption of a volcano on Spain’s La Palma island took a toll on nearby fish.
volcanoes

Volcanoes Kill Fish In Many Gruesome Ways

From bubbly eyeballs to internal bleeding, eruptions can have deadly consequences for marine animals.
Chris Baraniuk August 28, 2023
Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania

Molly McGuire Memorial

A monument to an Irish secret society thought to be responsible for a string of violent attacks in Pennsylvania coal mines.
Stockholm, Sweden

Galgbacken (Gallow Hill)

The site of Stockholm's last public execution.
London, England

Tower Hill Execution Site

A memorial for public executions that dates back to the 14th century.
death

Podcast: Close to the Edge, Part 2

Dive into another installment of our listeners' near-death travel experiences.
The Podcast Team June 12, 2023