In the shadow of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, alarming echoes of the past are being heard.
Category Archives: A Matter of Life or Death
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom
In Japanese culture, the cherry blossom represents the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Watch the trailer for this Academy Award nominated documentary to see how survivors of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami are inspired by the cherry blossom to rebuild their lives.
Chernobyl Might Get a Second Life as a Solar Power Plant
The deadly 1986 meltdown of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant left an area of over a thousand square miles too contaminated for farming or habitation. With its existing infrastructure, though, it’s well suited to a different kind of power.
East Aleppo’s last hospital destroyed by airstrikes
Even in a war zone, a hospital is supposed to be a safe place; but the lives of doctors and the patients they work to save are increasingly at risk.
How to Avoid Shark Attacks
Each new report of a shark attack puts ocean swimmers on edge, but an ichthyologist (that’s a fish expert) provides some tips to help humans avoid unwanted encounters.
Mine Kafon: Wind-blown landmine clearance
Believe it or not, design can be a matter of life or death. Learn about a device based on wind-blown toys that was exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art on its way to saving lives in the designer’s native Afghanistan.
11 crazy facts about getting struck by lightning (and how to avoid it)
You might be surprised to learn that being struck by lightning is more often a matter of life than of death. Learn some amazing facts and survival strategies.
Tales of the Super Survivors
Opinion columnist David Brooks examines the key qualities of people who have survived traumatic events while retaining a positive outlook.
“I work as a paramedic in Sydney. What do you want to know?”
What if your everyday job were a matter of life and death? Find out what it’s like to do crucial lifesaving work, day in and day out.
“I Was a Nazi, and Here’s Why”
In 1964, a former Nazi published a book-length letter to a Jewish schoolmate, detailing how she became a Nazi and apologizing for the wrongs she had perpetrated in the service of Hitler.
Experiment is Crowdfunding Science Projects; Just Don’t Ask Them to Find Bigfoot
As traditional funding for lifesaving research shrinks, a new, more social approach attempts to fill the gap.
Making the risky crossing
Wave after wave of refugees risk drowning to cross the narrow but unpredictable channel between Turkey and the Greek island of Lesbos.
Survival Exercise Scenarios
Survival is no game, but preparing for it can be one. Try out these games to help you make collaborative life-and-death decisions.
Hope, Despair, and Memory
Author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. Read his powerful Nobel lecture.
Marie Colvin obituary
Learn about the fearless and passionate life of the unforgettable war correspondent Marie Colvin.
The Possibilian
Why does time seem to slow down when we fear for our lives?
It Helps to Like Your Neighbor During a Natural Disaster
In one natural disaster after another, survival stories emerge. One key factor in many of these tales is a strong bond among neighbors. While early-warning systems and community support systems are certainly important, neighbors who freely share information and resources because they care about each other are crucial.
Circus ‘Families’ Bonded by Daring and Danger
Part of the thrill of watching a circus performance is the inherent danger—what if that trapeze artist or tightrope walker falls? Read about the precautions circus performers take to ensure their safety, and what happens when things go wrong.
Running for His Life
The 1990s genocide in Rwanda and Burundi turned classmates into adversaries overnight. Learn about how one teen escaped the carnage and made a new life for himself in the United States.
How Near-Death Experiences Work
You’ve probably heard stories about people who were resuscitated from clinical death. They tell of meeting loved ones in a bright light and feeling completely at peace. What causes these impressions?