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Greenland Sharks May Offer Clues to Extending Human Lifespans
New data on longest-living vertebrate could provide insight into our own genetic repairAn international team of scientists has become the first to map the elusive Greenland shark’s genome, sequencing about 92% of its DNA. Having released their findings as a preprint — a scientific paper that has not yet gone through the peer-review process – the researchers are inviting more scientists to study the genome and conduct…
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“Winter” by Megan Fernandes
Delving into the depths of winter brings us closer to deathOne winter, I became very quietand saw my life. It was Februaryand outside in the city streets,snow fell but would not collect.I bought snapdragons and thistle,got some discount peach rosesthat smelled off. I split thembetween vases and movedthe bouquets from room to roomwhile a violin solo rang out.My throat hurt. My tonsils grewblubbery like two…
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Losing Her Constant
A woman loses her father, an ever-present force of strength and stability in her lifeThis is Nancy’s story, as told by Jeanette. Our “Opening Our Hearts” stories are based on people’s real-life experiences with grief and loss. By sharing these experiences publicly, we hope to help our readers feel less alone in their grief, and ultimately, aid them in their healing process. In this post, we tell the story…
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Sky Lanterns Bear Wishes and Remembrance into Night Sky
Festival provides a unique way to celebrate the new year and release deep emotionsThere’s something about the glow from a candle that evokes a feeling of warmth and serenity. And when that feeling is multiplied by a mass of glowing sky lanterns rising like a constellation of stars, that sensation becomes pure magic.
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”The Snow Sister”
A heart-shattering Christmas movie about loss, family trauma and letting goThe Snow Sister, a Norwegian film based on the bestselling children’s bookof the same name by Maja Lunde and Lisa Aisato, has recently started streaming on Netflix for the holidays. Like many Christmas movies, this film is rich with traditional holiday imagery, thanks to the Nordic winter wonderland in which it’s set. There is even…
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First the Wealth Gap, Now the U.S. Has a Growing Health Gap
Discover why the U.S. health gap is growing and how improving healthspan can enhance quality of life for AmericansAmericans are living longer than ever before, but those added years often come with a significant tradeoff: declining health. According to a recent study by researchers at the Mayo Clinic, the health gap, or the gap between lifespan and healthspan — the years lived free from serious illness or disability — has widened significantly in…
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“Songbird”
Christine McVie’s open-ended song can celebrate both living and lost loved onesHighlighting an eternal, selfless love, Christine McVie, Fleetwood Mac member and composer of “Songbird,” asserts that the song is about no one specific and nothing in particular. This makes it a bit of a blank canvas when it comes to reminiscing and celebrating love or mourning a loss, whether romantic, familial, spiritual or platonic. In…
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How to Comfort A Dying Loved One (Interview)
End-of-life expert Dr. Marianne Matzo explains some simple ways to offer solaceDr. Marianne Matzo first became interested in working with the dying during her Ph.D. program, when she was exploring whether people were considering long-term care and how they would pay for it. A friend told her that she would commit suicide before entering long-term care. This statement inspired Matzo’s dissertation on the prevalence of nurse-assisted…
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Our Annual Seven Holiday Gifts for Someone Who Is Grieving: 2024 Edition
Gracious gifts that spread love and beautyThe holidays have a way of making loss feel even more pronounced. If you have friends or family members (or you yourself) who are feeling the impact of death this season — whether fresh or long-standing — a thoughtful gift for grieving loved ones goes a long way toward reminding them they are not alone.…
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