logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2023
49m 30s

The Blurred Line Between Life and Death

NPR
About this episode
We think of life and death as clear cut — you're alive or you're not; your heart's beating or it isn't; your brain functions or it doesn't. But when you look a bit deeper, both on a biological level, and in terms of people's experiences, the border where life ends and death begins starts to look less firm, leading to questions about what comes next. On this episode, we explore the blurred line between life and death. We hear about near-death experiences, and what researchers say about the difference between our brains and our consciousness; we discuss a pioneering approach to collecting organs that is raising questions about the definition of death; and we'll explore why some people experience sudden bursts of lucidity before death. Also, a story about a controversial contest to prove the existence of life after death. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Today
The Search for Life on Mars: From Mars Mania to NASA’s Rovers
On this episode, a look back at our search for life on Mars. We hear about the Viking mission to Mars — the first to land a craft on the Red Planet — and the controversy over what it discovered, what drove a national obsession with the “Martian civilization” in the early 1900s, a ... Show More
49m 34s
Aug 30
Jon Ronson, 101 Princesses, and a World of Unraveling Men
Journalist Jon Ronson's new book starts with a series of panicked text messages from his son — who had been lured to a massive, gothic-looking castle in Connecticut. A female friend had been invited to a party by a wealthy older man from Tinder. But there was no party. Instead, t ... Show More
49m 19s
Aug 27
The Search for Wilderness
Sometimes, modern life can feel like an endless cacophony of distractions. We spend our days being inundated with noise and traffic, news and emails, obligations and hectic schedules. Many of us long to escape to nature or the wilderness — someplace simpler, quieter — where we ca ... Show More
49m 24s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2020
Dead or Alive
Life’s final border might not be so final after all. From tardigrades to viruses, some things are both dead and alive. Or neither. How do we draw the line between the living and the dead? And how does that line blur in places like in a time capsule buried in ice, or a library on ... Show More
46m 6s
Jan 2023
Ep 1: A Beginning or an End?
A fate that awaits us all - death. Despite a century of studies, we have only a fraction of understanding on what to expect when we stop breathing, living, existing. Or do we? It is estimated that around 20% of the population has experienced something that could be construed as e ... Show More
30m 48s
Nov 2021
65 - The Last Breath
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">How can we medically tell whether or not someone is alive or dead? The answer is much more complicated than you'd think. In this episode, which is a live podcast I gave with Tony Breu at the Massachusetts Chapter of the American College of Physi ... Show More
40m 31s
Jan 2022
7. Life and Death
In this episode we go deep discussing life, death, and what happens to the soul as the body inevitably disintegrates and disappears. There are some key ideas and concepts that are worth pondering as we all will, without exception, experience physical death. Romans 6:23. 
1h 35m
Dec 2018
Gray Space: Between Life and Death المنطقة الرمادية: مابين الحياة والموت
tail spinning
11m 19s
Jan 2024
Proof of Life After Death: Hope and a Warning From The Other Side
You wake up surrounded by loved ones. But this reunion carries a dire warning: you can't stay. Your time here is limited. A searing pain rips through your body as you gasp back to life in a hospital bed. You were dead just moments ago.This phenomenon is called a near-death experi ... Show More
48m 3s
Nov 2023
What Happens When You Die
<p>In this episode, Teal Swan talks about death, one of the most taboo and misunderstood topics in our society. She explains how death is not an endedness, but a drastic change in perspective and form that allows for expansion and enhancement of consciousness. She also shares how ... Show More
19m 3s
Mar 2021
Life Through Death
Finding life in death is not a normal practice. The thought of death holds a negative space in our minds. Changing our perspective of death can lead us to a new journey and appreciation of life that we would not experience without the context of death. Want more Andy? Try Headspa ... Show More
3m 58s