Body disposition can have a major environmental impact. That’s partly why 12 states and counting have legalized human composting in the past five years.

“It’s quite a tasteless pursuit, but it seems as though it’s a pursuit driven by desperation, like they are casting around looking for ways to make money online,” WIRED reporter Kate Knibbs said of the YouTube obituary pirates.

That may in part be because of cost — cremation tends to be less expensive than burials — but also because of the creative creation remains market. Loved ones have options to create jewelry, paperweights, tattoos, even fireworks, from cremated remains.

Losing a parent can have long-term financial implications for children.

In Texas, probate court judges say they are trying to manage a huge increase in cases, with families left to sort out a loved one’s affairs.

The things that can make funerals cathartic aren’t possible right now.

The tradition dates as far back as the 1800s.

At least two companies have started doing human trials.

Yale professor Daphne A. Brooks talks about the musician's life and legacy.