"The Science That Is Rewriting the Boundaries Between Life and Death"

What happens to us when we die? Where does the line between life and death really or finally reside? These questions are as old as human consciousness itself. On this edition of ST, we present a very interesting discussion with Dr. Sam Parnia, the director of the well-known AWARE Study (as in, "AWAreness during REsuscitation") and one of the world's leading experts on the scientific study of death and near-death experiences. Dr. Parnia joins us by phone to talk about his new book, "Erasing Death: The Science That Is Rewriting the Boundaries Between Life and Death." As he points out during our conversation, death does not actually occur at a precise moment in time. Rather, it is a process --- and, in fact, a process that can be interrupted (or even reversed, at, say, the cellular level) well after it has begun. Indeed, certain advancements at the vanguard of critical care and resuscitation medicine --- while still in their beginning stages, admittedly --- might someday give us science-based answers to humanity's ultimate mystery: What happens to us during and after death? "Erasing Death" thereby offers readers, as one reviewer for Kirkus has noted, "a fascinating discussion that addresses medical, moral, and social issues, and their implications for understanding consciousness, self-awareness, and the soul."