Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

National Geographic Article Prompts People To Share The Powerful Reasons They'd Donate Their Bodies To Science

National Geographic Article Prompts People To Share The Powerful Reasons They'd Donate Their Bodies To Science
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images // @ARCatwoman (Twitter)

People donate their bodies to science for all sorts of reasons, but a general societal unease about death and dying (and what comes after, both literally and figuratively) has a tendency to put people off broaching the topic altogether.

Thankfully, we have National Geographic to shed some light on this very personal decision, and the responses are illuminating.


The National Geographic Twitter account posted the following article on January 27, asking social media users to share their "primary reason" for considering donating their bodies to science.

National Geographic notes, in response to those who've asked how they can actually donate their bodies to science:

"The United States does not have a centralized governing agency for whole-body donations, though the American Association of Anatomists has come up with a policy for how bodies should be handled when they're donated. For instance, the policy states that donations must follow all state and local laws, and "donation literature should describe all possible uses of donated bodies at that institution."
"Generally, these institutions do not charge for body donation, though the University of Alabama asks for $750 to cover the costs of transportation, preservation, maintenance, and ultimately cremation.For-profit tissue brokers also exist. It is legal to sell bodies and body parts in the U.S., and some people choose to use brokers because they market their services and will cover the costs of claiming and transporting the body. Of course, then they will go on to sell the body parts, and the system is not closely regulated.
"Certain physical conditions at the time of death can prevent acceptance to a whole-body donation program, including obesity, communicable diseases, jaundice, severe trauma to the body, and decomposition. Organ donations are handled differently from whole-body donations, and often times, an individual cannot be both an organ donor and a whole-body donor."
"To find out who you can contact to make a body donation in your state, check out this list maintained by the Anatomical Board of the State of Florida."

There's a hint of bureaucracy to many of the decisions we make, but donating our bodies can prove invaluable to not just well-established scientists, but also students gleaning lessons from actual human beings. The "whys" are fascinating.

Check out some of these responses. Sometimes the decision to donate your body is as simple as this...

...and this...

...and even this...


...but the other reasons are equally revealing.








Have you considered donating your body to science? Tell us why in the comments below!

More from News

Eddie Murphy; Eric Murphy & Jasmin Lawrence; Martin Lawrence
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images; @jasmin_lawrence/Instagram; Noam Galai/Getty Images for SiriusXM

Eddie Murphy's Son Just Got Engaged To Martin Lawrence's Daughter—And Fans Are Overjoyed

Martin Lawrence’s daughter, Jasmin Lawrence, and Eddie Murphy’s son, Eric Murphy, are officially engaged!

The couple, together for over three years, announced the happy news on Instagram with a romantic video featuring Eric’s candlelit proposal, set to Eric Benét’s Spend My Life with You.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from TikTok videos by @jngarz, @cass.on.tour, and @flowerpower12790
@jngarz/TikTok; @cass.on.tour/TikTok; @flowerpower12790/TikTok

Kacey Musgraves Puts Florida Fan On Blast For Grabbing Her During Tampa Concert

Country singer Kacey Musgraves is currently touring the southern U.S., and while she was in Florida, one fan nearly ruined the tour for everyone when they inappropriately grabbed the artist.

While in Tampa, Florida, Musgraves was performing down on the floor with the audience, walking toward the camera for dramatic effect when an audience member grabbed her arm and yanked her toward the crowd.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pete Hegseth
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Pete Hegseth's Mom Called Him 'Despicable' And An 'Abuser Of Women' In Brutal 2018 Email

The New York Times shared a 2018 email concerning former Fox News host Pete Hegseth's mother in which she calls him "despicable" and accuses him of repeatedly mistreating women.

Days after President-elect Donald Trump won the 2024 election, the Pentagon was dumbfounded when Trump selected Hegseth, the Fox and Friends weekend co-host and former Army National Guard officer, as his nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense for the incoming administration.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ted Danson
Chris Haston/WBTV via Getty Images

Ted Danson Reveals Bizarre Celebrity He Used To Get Mistaken For—And It's A Head-Scratcher

The hit sitcom Cheers may have celebrated the comfort of places where "everybody knows your name," but Ted Danson, who portrayed the popular Sam Malone on the show, didn't totally identify with that experience.

While promoting his new show A Man on the Inside, in which an older man gets a new lease on life by becoming a private investigator, Danson appeared on The Jennifer Hudson Show, and the audience was left cackling over the behind-the-scenes information he shared with her.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Cast Of 'A League Of Their Own' Just Reunited—And There's Definitely Crying In Baseball
Columbia Pictures

The Cast Of 'A League Of Their Own' Just Reunited—And There's Definitely Crying In Baseball

The Rockford Peaches are back!

On Nov. 24, the cast of A League of Their Own reunited at the Chicago Sports Spectacular. Stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, and Rosie O’Donnell gathered at the Donald Stephens Convention Center to meet fans, sign memorabilia, and celebrate the 1992 classic.

Keep ReadingShow less