For centuries, death has been seen as a final, inescapable line—a moment when the heart stops and the brain ceases to function. But revolutionary research asks: What if everything we thought we knew about death was wrong?
Sam Parnia, an associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone, is the author of Lucid Dying: The New Science Revolutionizing How We Understand Life and Death. His groundbreaking work explores how science is pushing the boundaries of life and death, uncovering the potential to resuscitate animals—and maybe one day humans—after they've been declared dead. From recalling experiences of consciousness after death (what some call “near-death experiences”) to using AI and advanced techniques to study the brain in its final moments, he explores the profound implications for medicine, ethics and our understanding of what it means to be alive.
00:00 Introduction: The Inevitability of Death
00:18 Challenging the Binary View of Life and Death
01:05 Revolutionizing Resuscitation and Consciousness
02:17 Exploring the Boundaries of Death
02:59 Understanding Death Through Science
06:03 The Pig Brain Experiment
07:53 Consciousness and Brain Function
14:13 Recalled Experiences of Death
20:02 Universal Patterns in Near-Death Experiences
27:07 Implications for Medicine and Society
28:14 Conclusion: The Deeper Purpose of Life
Learn more:
https://news.uchicago.edu/big-brains-podcast-what-happens-when-we-die-sam-parnia