The author of history's most influential piece of animal mourning literature had been lost...until now. Learn the incredible true story behind The Rainbow Bridge. Episode Guest Paul Koudounaris is a founding member of The Order of the Good Death. He has a PhD in Art History and has written three books about the use of skeletal remains in sacred spa…

A court case in California could force death doulas to become licensed funeral directors. We talk to the doula and the lawyer taking on California's Funeral and Cemetery Bureau. Episode Guests Akhila Murphy is one of the original co-founders of Full Circle of Living and Dying, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in Grass Valley, CA. She is a trained End-…

Go behind the scenes with Cat Warren, who works with cadaver dogs to find the missing dead and locate Black and Indigenous burial grounds. Episode Guest Cat Warren is the author of the NYT bestseller What the Dog Knows, which explores how scent-detection dogs help find the missing and dead, sometimes even those missing for hundreds of years. She cu…

From viral trends to new options for your future corpse, Caitlin and Sarah review the best and worst of the past year in death, revealing how the death positive movement is making an impact on the way we do death. Episode Resources To access The Year in Death Project, sign up to become an Order member, or make a donation of $50 or more to our nonpr…

In a space of loss that is already difficult to exist in, we need to do more to understand how our language surrounding green burial can better acknowledge difficult histories and experiences. Episode Resources This episode is an audio version of the article “Whose Green Burial Is It Anyway?” by Corinne Elicona. Green Burial 101 Locate a Green Buri…

Mortuary schools began as embalming schools, sponsored by embalming chemical companies. Today, mortuary schools are designed to be more holistic, covering everything a new mortician may face in the industry. But what groups are being left out of this education? The last decade has brought hard discussions around serious gaps in what is taught to st…

No matter how long you’ve been working with dead bodies, nothing can prepare you for working on someone you knew and loved. Episode Resources This episode is an audio version of the article “Washing Kathryn, Touching Death” by Nora Menkin for The Order of the Good Death. Helping to care for someone’s body in death can be a profound experience. Visi…

Where would you even start in opening your own green burial ground? After all, every cemetery is a unique snowflake, with its own confusing blend of regulations. We speak with one expert who will cut through the confusion, and one practitioner who made it all happen. Episode Guests Tanya Marsh, a professor at Wake Forest University School of Law fo…

Hot Take: We’re all afraid of death – whether it’s the actual state of being dead one day, the pain of dying, or how your remains will be treated. Death Positive or not, that anxiety is something that bonds us all – and while it’s scary, it’s important to know you’re not alone. Episode Resources This episode is an audio version of the article “Life…

Episode Description Our future corpses have more options than ever, with eco-friendly processes like aquamation and composting being legalized across the U.S. and Canada. Find out the nitty-gritty truths on what goes into making these death alternatives a reality where you live. Host, Caitlin Doughty talks to Recompose founder, Katrina Spade who ha…

Welcome back for Season 3 of the Death in the Afternoon, a podcast from the Order of the Good Death!By Death in the Afternoon

How does someone who grew up in the urban landscape of Singapore end up leading birding expeditions on horseback in Montana? Biologist and environmental advocate Dr. Wenfei Tong has done that, and MUCH more. Join us for a conversation about her life, work, books, art, and why she thinks of herself as Darwin's Jackal. Check out Wenfei's art and phot…

With everything going on in the news right now we thought it was a good time to talk about psychopaths. Here is a recording of our Science on Tap event held in October 2020 on The Neuroscience of Real Life Monsters: Psychopaths, CEOs, & Politicians with forensic psychiatrist Dr. Octavio Choi. Check out our YouTube channel for more Science on Tap ev…

Learn about sharks, sawfish, and what it's like to be a marine biologist in this interview with Jasmin Graham. Also, find out more about Jasmin's work as the President and CEO of Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS). SkypeAScientist.com ******** Help support the podcast and live Science on Tap events! Make a one-time donation to Make You Think OR If…

Listen as we have a fun conversation about death with mortician and activist Caitlin Doughty about her book Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? that is now out in paperback! We discuss why it's important to talk to kids about death, what she thinks about Halloween decorations, and the worst thing about her work (hint: it has nothing to do with dead people…

In this episode we talk with Dr. Nicole Michel, Senior Quantitative Ecologist with the National Audubon Society and find out a little bit about what it's like to study birds. Also check out eBird and help do science in your neighborhood! Watch Nicole's Science on Tap talk on Hope Is The Thing With Feathers: Finding Joy in Birds recorded on April 23…

You've probably heard of Jack Daniel's whiskey, but did you know that brand wouldn't exist if it weren't for Nearest Green, the first Black master distiller on record? In this episode we talk to Sailor Guevara, brand ambassador for Uncle Nearest Whiskey all about the science and history of whiskey. It’s also a story of slavery, emancipation, family…

In this episode we get another chance to talk to Dr. Ainissa Ramirez, materials scientist and author of the book The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another. We learn more about her background, what a materials scientist does, and why she calls herself a "science evangelist." Here are some suggestions on how to buy the book (th…

In this episode we have a long and fascinating conversation with epidemiologist Dr. Frank Franklin about the current pandemic, racism, poverty, public health, the Black Lives Matter protests, and what it's like to navigate the world as an African American scientist. Dr. Franklin is the Principal Epidemiologist & Director of the Epidemiology, Analyt…

In this episode we have a conversation with Dr. Eseosa Ighodaro, MD, PhD, a neurologist and a neuroscientist. Find out about what inspired her to study brains, what it's like to get an MD and a PhD at the same time, about her interest in studying the medical effects of racism on People of Color, and how she's teaching people about neuroscience. Fin…

If you've ever heard the name Frances Glessner Lee you might think "wasn't she that lady who made crime scene dollhouses?" Making dioramas wasn't just her hobby; she actually had profound influence on the field of forensic science. We learn a bit about her in this brief interview with her biographer, Bruce Goldfarb. Join us for Science on Tap Onlin…

Listen to our short interview with neuroscientist Dr. Larry Sherman from OHSU. He has spoken at MANY previous events, such as Music and the Anxious Brain on April 9, 2020 (this interview took place a few minutes after that event ended), and you can hear podcast episodes of his talks The Neuroscience of Racism, The Neuroscience of PTSD, and The Neur…

Find out how bacteria help us digest food, battle disease, and may influence our behavior in Microbes and the Human Gut by Dr. Lisa Sardinia recorded at an event in 2017. Lisa also spoke on High Anxiety: The Gut Microbiota’s Effect on Mental Health at a Science on Tap Online event on May 14, 2020. Resources mentioned at the end of the talk: Some of…

Want a real-life adventure story mixed with modern-day science? Listen to this short interview with Gillen D’Arcy Wood, author of Land of Wondrous Cold: The Race to Discover Antarctica and Unlock the Secrets of Its Ice. Pick up and enjoy the book, then join us on Thursday, June 11 for a Science on Tap Online event with Gillen at 7pm Pacific. Find o…

What if everything we think we know about cancer is wrong? Listen as Dr. Athena Aktipis, author and Arizona State University professor talks about her new book The Cheating Cell: How Evolution Helps Us Understand and Treat Cancer. Rather than trying to eradicate all cancer, she describes how changing our approach could help us learn to control and …

How have simple inventions changed our lives? Learn more in this short interview with Dr. Ainissa Ramirez, materials scientist and author of the book The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another. Pick up and enjoy the book, then join us on May 21 at 7:00pm Pacific for a Science on Tap Online event with Ainissa! Find out more abo…

Is there life on other planets? How would we find out? Listen to a short interview with NASA scientist and author Kevin Peter Hand about his new book Alien Oceans: The Search for Life in the Depths of Space. Pick up and enjoy the book, then join us on May 28 for a Science on Tap Online event with Kevin! Find out more about the live event on Faceboo…

Science shows that friends are vital for our mental and physical well-being, and that may be even more true in these strange, pandemic times. Listen as author Lydia Denworth talks about her book Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life’s Fundamental Bond, recorded at a Science on Tap event in February 2020. This talk was …