When a cemetery goes bankrupt, it's either go to the public or find some way of getting money. Most urban cemeteries that are still open are trying to find less land intensive ways of disposing of bodies. "We can't keep expanding our cities forever," she says. But sharing graves already in use with new friends makes perfect sense.
Remember you are dirt and to dirt you shall return. Science journalist Eleanor Cummins and law professor Tanya Marsh explain the rise of human composting, now legal in six states, as an alternative to burial or cremation.
This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Paul Robert Mounsey, and hosted by Noel King.
Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained
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