Mystery, stigma, and dreams of immortality fuel a debate that just won’t die — Philosophers have argued for millennia whether aging is a natural process or a disease to be cured. The debate — gaining fresh vigor in recent years with advances in understanding disease causes even while science still can’t explain exactly why or how we age — is full of genuine scientific…

Science reveals that a flash of brain waves occurs at the point of (and even after) death; what can that tell us about life? — Science cannot tell us when the moment of death occurs. Despite all of our technology and all of our research, we still have only a legal definition of death — not a medical or scientific one. Why? Those ephemeral moments between being a living thing and a collection of inanimate…

Napping is loved and hated and can be restorative or a sign of health problems, so here’s what you need to know — There are two kinds of people in this world: happy nappers who, like me, wake up revived from a short afternoon snooze, ready to tackle the remainder of the day with fresh and annoying vigor; and napping naysayers like my wife who can’t stand naps and think people like me…

Walking barefoot or in minimalist shoes can prevent multiple health problems — Where I live, in southwest Germany, there are a bewildering number of shoe stores that specialize in barefoot-style footwear. I’ve counted at least four Barfußschuhläden within a mile of my home. I’ve asked my local friends about this, and they shrug and say things like “Freiburg is an eco-city” or…

You can’t prevent the inevitable, but here’s what you can do — Amid all the real problems in the world these days, a constant barrage of misleading and insidious anti-aging articles and advertisements frame “getting older” as a terrible yet somehow miraculously avoidable aspect of the human condition. They seek to get under your skin about that first wrinkle in your thirties…

Preserving your mental health when the world is on fire — The spring house stood at the far end of the drive, halfway to the barn. It sheltered just at the base of a steep hill, like a tin-roofed entry to some subterranean domain. And in a way, that’s exactly what it was: a wooden shelter over great, granite stones the…

Heavy drinking impacts the parts of your brain that store memories — In 2006, a 24-year-old Seattle man was arrested and charged with the murder of four people — two women and two children — who were stabbed to death in their home. The evidence against the man was considerable and included the fact that he’d tried to burn the house down…

You won’t realize it’s happening, but even moderate light robs you of deep sleep and raises your heart rate — Once upon a time, humans slept in total darkness, save perhaps some bright moonlight or a soothing fire at the cave entrance. After millions of years without light switches, we’re evolutionarily programmed to rely on darkness for a good night’s sleep. So it’s no surprise that artificial light in the…