O'Rourke Looks on the Sunny Side of Death

It's also the No. 1 cause of death in China: Cancer Society

(NEWSER) - Tobacco killed 6 million people worldwide last year and now ranks as the No. 1 cause of death in China, according to a report from the American Cancer Society and World Lung Federation. What's more, the groups say tobacco use may be responsible for 1 billion deaths this century if trends persist, reports Bloomberg . More»

Study ties carbon dioxide to eerie visions

(NEWSER) - That "heavenly" light at the end of the tunnel may have more to do with carbon dioxide than an afterlife, a new study finds. Slovenian researchers studying near-death experiences found that people who reported seeing their life—or light—flash before their eyes had higher levels of CO2 in their systems. Up to 25% of cardiac patients report having such experiences. More»

Study sees significant benefits for women with the disease

(NEWSER) - Taking aspirin regularly reduces the risk of death for breast cancer patients, a new study suggests. Drawing on data from the Nurses' Health Study, researchers found that breast cancer victims who took an aspirin at least twice a week were 64% to 71% less likely to die, and 43% to 60% less likely to see their cancer spread, reports MedPage Today . More»

Ex-Nixon speechwriter, Pulitzer winner was forceful voice on right

(NEWSER) - Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist William Safire died today outside Washington, the paper reports. He was 79 and suffered from cancer. A onetime speechwriter for Richard Nixon, Safire, a self-described "libertarian conservative," used his background as a reporter and love for English usage to punch up his op-ed column, which he wrote from 1973 to 2005, and books of history and fiction. More»

(NEWSER) - Thousands of constituents and admirers turned out this afternoon to honor Ted Kennedy as a motorcade bearing the senator's body from his Cape Cod home to his brother's presidential library wound through the streets of Boston. Some wept, some applauded as both locals and out-of-towners flooded to say goodbye. "We’re his family,” one Bostonian told the Globe. “We loved him so much, and we’ll miss him so much." More»