Environmental Graffiti

The Town Where No one is Allowed to Die

The tiny locale of Longyearbyen, Norway, is one of the world's most northerly towns. Here, university students learn to shoot polar bears in self-defense while kindergarten kids have mobility issues caused by heavy snowsuits and residents worry about the effects of global warming on their Icefjord. But if life in Longyearbyen is unusual, it's nothing compared to the prospect of death: the town rule is, if you die here, you will not be buried.

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1918 Antibodies For Deadly Bird Flu Discovered

A couple of years ago, when a bird flu pandemic threatened to spread across the globe there was wide-spread panic. Borders were shut, authorities suggested we didn’t fly to countries already infected with the disease and hospitals prepared with equipment normally saved for outbreaks of the deadly Ebola virus.

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