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ThisIsWhatHappensAfterYouDie
ByMohebCostandi|Mosaic
Posted:05/21/20158:09pmEDT

Updated:2hoursago

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(Photo:Lightning+KinglyfaceandJessBonham)

Mostofuswouldrathernotthinkaboutwhathappenstoourbodiesafterdeath.Butthatbreakdown
givesbirthtonewlifeinunexpectedways,writesMohebCostandi.
Itmighttakealittlebitofforcetobreakthisup,saysmorticianHollyWilliams,liftingJohnsarmand
gentlybendingitatthefingers,elbowandwrist.Usually,thefresherabodyis,theeasieritisformeto
workon.
Williamsspeakssoftlyandhasahappygoluckydemeanorthatbeliesthenatureofherwork.Raisedand
nowemployedatafamilyrunfuneralhomeinnorthTexas,shehasseenandhandleddeadbodiesonan
almostdailybasissincechildhood.Now28yearsold,sheestimatesthatshehasworkedonsomething
like1,000bodies.
HerworkinvolvescollectingrecentlydeceasedbodiesfromtheDallasFortWorthareaandpreparing
themfortheirfuneral.

Mostofthepeoplewepickupdieinnursinghomes,saysWilliams,butsometimeswegetpeoplewho
diedofgunshotwoundsorinacarwreck.Wemightgetacalltopickupsomeonewhodiedaloneand
wasntfoundfordaysorweeks,andtheyllalreadybedecomposing,whichmakesmyworkmuch
harder.
Johnhadbeendeadaboutfourhoursbeforehisbodywasbroughtintothefuneralhome.Hehadbeen
relativelyhealthyformostofhislife.HehadworkedhiswholelifeontheTexasoilfields,ajobthatkept
himphysicallyactiveandinprettygoodshape.Hehadstoppedsmokingdecadesearlieranddrank
alcoholmoderately.Then,onecoldJanuarymorning,hesufferedamassiveheartattackathome
(apparentlytriggeredbyother,unknown,complications),felltothefloor,anddiedalmostimmediately.
Hewasjust57yearsold.
Now,JohnlayonWilliamsmetaltable,hisbodywrappedinawhitelinensheet,coldandstifftothe
touch,hisskinpurplishgreytelltalesignsthattheearlystagesofdecompositionwerewellunderway.

Selfdigestion
Farfrombeingdead,arottingcorpseisteemingwithlife.Agrowingnumberofscientistsviewarotting
corpseasthecornerstoneofavastandcomplexecosystem,whichemergessoonafterdeathand
flourishesandevolvesasdecompositionproceeds.
Decompositionbeginsseveralminutesafterdeathwithaprocesscalledautolysis,orselfdigestion.Soon
aftertheheartstopsbeating,cellsbecomedeprivedofoxygen,andtheiracidityincreasesasthetoxicby
productsofchemicalreactionsbegintoaccumulateinsidethem.Enzymesstarttodigestcellmembranes
andthenleakoutasthecellsbreakdown.Thisusuallybeginsintheliver,whichisrichinenzymes,and
inthebrain,whichhasahighwatercontent.Eventually,though,allothertissuesandorgansbeginto
breakdowninthisway.Damagedbloodcellsbegintospilloutofbrokenvesselsand,aidedbygravity,
settleinthecapillariesandsmallveins,discoloringtheskin.
Bodytemperaturealsobeginstodrop,untilithasacclimatizedtoitssurroundings.Then,rigormortis
thestiffnessofdeathsetsin,startingintheeyelids,jawandneckmuscles,beforeworkingitswayinto
thetrunkandthenthelimbs.Inlife,musclecellscontractandrelaxduetotheactionsoftwofilamentous
proteins(actinandmyosin),whichslidealongeachother.Afterdeath,thecellsaredepletedoftheir
energysourceandtheproteinfilamentsbecomelockedinplace.Thiscausesthemusclestobecomerigid
andlocksthejoints.
Duringtheseearlystages,thecadavericecosystemconsistsmostlyofthebacteriathatliveinandonthe
livinghumanbody.Ourbodieshosthugenumbersofbacteriaeveryoneofthebodyssurfacesand
cornersprovidesahabitatforaspecializedmicrobialcommunity.Byfarthelargestofthesecommunities
residesinthegut,whichishometotrillionsofbacteriaofhundredsorperhapsthousandsofdifferent
species.
Thegutmicrobiomeisoneofthehottestresearchtopicsinbiologyitsbeenlinkedtorolesinhuman
healthandaplethoraofconditionsanddiseases,fromautismanddepressiontoirritablebowel
syndromeandobesity.Butwestillknowlittleaboutthesemicrobialpassengers.Weknowevenless
aboutwhathappenstothemwhenwedie.
InAugust2014,forensicscientistGulnazJavanofAlabamaStateUniversityinMontgomeryandher
colleaguespublishedtheveryfirststudyofwhattheyhavecalledthethanatomicrobiome
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167701214002127)(fromthanatos,theGreek
wordfordeath).
Manyofoursamplescomefromcriminalcases,saysJavan.Someonediesbysuicide,homicide,drug
overdoseortrafficaccident,andIcollecttissuesamplesfromthebody.Thereareethicalissues[because]
weneedconsent.
Mostinternalorgansaredevoidofmicrobeswhenwearealive.Soonafterdeath,however,theimmune
systemstopsworking,leavingthemtospreadthroughoutthebodyfreely.Thisusuallybeginsinthegut,
atthejunctionbetweenthesmallandlargeintestines.Leftunchecked,ourgutbacteriabegintodigest
theintestinesandthenthesurroundingtissuesfromtheinsideout,usingthechemicalcocktailthat
leaksoutofdamagedcellsasafoodsource.Thentheyinvadethecapillariesofthedigestivesystemand
lymphnodes,spreadingfirsttotheliverandspleen,thenintotheheartandbrain.
Javanandherteamtooksamplesofliver,spleen,brain,heartandbloodfrom11cadavers,atbetween20
and240hoursafterdeath.TheyusedtwodifferentstateoftheartDNAsequencingtechnologies,
combinedwithbioinformatics,toanalyzeandcomparethebacterialcontentofeachsample.
Thesamplestakenfromdifferentorgansinthesamecadaverwereverysimilartoeachotherbutvery
differentfromthosetakenfromthesameorgansintheotherbodies.Thismaybeduepartlyto
differencesinthecompositionofthemicrobiomeofeachcadaver,oritmightbecausedbydifferencesin
thetimeelapsedsincedeath.Anearlierstudyofdecomposingmice

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3796315/)revealedthatalthoughthemicrobiome
changesdramaticallyafterdeath,itdoessoinaconsistentandmeasurableway.Theresearcherswere
abletoestimatetimeofdeathtowithinthreedaysofanearlytwomonthperiod.
Javansstudysuggeststhatthismicrobialclockmaybetickingwithinthedecomposinghumanbody,
too.Itshowedthatthebacteriareachedtheliverabout20hoursafterdeathandthatittookthematleast
58hourstospreadtoalltheorgansfromwhichsamplesweretaken.Thus,afterwedie,ourbacteriamay
spreadthroughthebodyinasystematicway,andthetimingwithwhichtheyinfiltratefirstoneinternal
organandthenanothermayprovideanewwayofestimatingtheamountoftimethathaselapsedsince
death.
"Degreeofdecompositionvariesnotonlyfromindividualtoindividualbutalsodiffersindifferentbody
organs,"saysJavan,"Spleen,intestine,stomachandpregnantuterusareearliertodecay,butonthe
otherhandkidney,heartandbonesarelaterintheprocess."In2014,Javanandhercolleaguessecureda
US$200,000grantfromtheNationalScienceFoundationtoinvestigatefurther.Wewilldonext
generationsequencingandbioinformaticstoseewhichorganisbestforestimating[timeofdeath]
thatsstillunclear,shesays.
Onethingthatdoesseemclear,however,isthatadifferentcompositionofbacteriaisassociatedwith
differentstagesofdecomposition.

Bloating.(Photo:Lightning+KinglyfaceandJessBonham)

Putrefaction
ScatteredamongthepinetreesinHuntsville,Texas,liearoundhalfadozenhumancadaversinvarious
stagesofdecay.Thetwomostrecentlyplacedbodiesarespreadeaglednearthecentreofthesmall
enclosurewithmuchoftheirloose,greybluemottledskinstillintact,theirribcagesandpelvicbones
visiblebetweenslowlyputrefyingflesh.Afewmetersawayliesanother,fullyskeletonized,withitsblack,
hardenedskinclingingtothebones,asifitwerewearingashinylatexsuitandskullcap.Furtherstill,

beyondotherskeletalremainsscatteredbyvultures,liesathirdbodywithinawoodandwirecage.Itis
nearingtheendofthedeathcycle,partlymummified.Severallarge,brownmushroomsgrowfromwhere
anabdomenoncewas.
Formostofusthesightofarottingcorpseisatbestunsettlingandatworstrepulsiveandfrightening,the
stuffofnightmares.ButthisiseverydayforthefolksattheSoutheastTexasAppliedForensicScience
(http://www.shsu.edu/~stafs/)Facility.Openedin2009,thefacilityislocatedwithina247acreareaof
NationalForestownedbySamHoustonStateUniversity(SHSU).Withinit,anineacreplotofdensely
woodedlandhasbeensealedofffromthewiderareaandfurthersubdivided,by10foothighgreenwire
fencestoppedwithbarbedwire.
Inlate2011,SHSUresearchersSibylBucheliandAaronLynneandtheircolleaguesplacedtwofresh
cadavershere,andleftthemtodecayundernaturalconditions.
Onceselfdigestionisunderwayandbacteriahavestartedtoescapefromthegastrointestinaltract,
putrefactionbegins.Thisismoleculardeaththebreakdownofsofttissuesevenfurther,intogases,
liquidsandsalts.Itisalreadyunderwayattheearlierstagesofdecompositionbutreallygetsgoingwhen
anaerobicbacteriagetinontheact.
Putrefactionisassociatedwithamarkedshiftfromaerobicbacterialspecies,whichrequireoxygento
grow,toanaerobicones,whichdonot.Thesethenfeedonthebodystissues,fermentingthesugarsin
themtoproducegaseousbyproductssuchasmethane,hydrogensulphideandammonia,which
accumulatewithinthebody,inflating(orbloating)theabdomenandsometimesotherbodyparts.
Thiscausesfurtherdiscolorationofthebody.Asdamagedbloodcellscontinuetoleakfrom
disintegratingvessels,anaerobicbacteriaconverthemoglobinmolecules,whichoncecarriedoxygen
aroundthebody,intosulfhemoglobin.Thepresenceofthismoleculeinsettledbloodgivesskinthe
marbled,greenishblackappearancecharacteristicofabodyundergoingactivedecomposition.
Asthegaspressurecontinuestobuildupinsidethebody,itcausesblisterstoappearallovertheskin
surface.Thisisfollowedbyloosening,andthenslippage,oflargesheetsofskin,whichremainbarely
attachedtothedeterioratingframeunderneath.Eventually,thegasesandliquefiedtissuespurgefrom
thebody,usuallyleakingfromtheanusandotherorificesandfrequentlyalsoleakingfromrippedskinin
otherpartsofthebody.Sometimes,thepressureissogreatthattheabdomenburstsopen.
Bloatingisoftenusedasamarkerforthetransitionbetweenearlyandlaterstagesofdecomposition,and
anotherrecentstudyshowsthatthistransitionischaracterizedbyadistinctshiftinthecompositionof
cadavericbacteria.
BucheliandLynnetooksamplesofbacteriafromvariouspartsofthebodiesatthebeginningandtheend
ofthebloatstage.TheythenextractedbacterialDNAfromthesamplesandsequencedit.
Asanentomologist,Bucheliismainlyinterestedintheinsectsthatcolonizecadavers.Sheregardsa
cadaverasaspecializedhabitatforvariousnecrophagous(ordeadeating)insectspecies,someofwhich
seeouttheirentirelifecyclein,onandaroundthebody.

Bursting.(Photo:Lightning+KinglyfaceandJessBonham)

Colonization
Whenadecomposingbodystartstopurge,itbecomesfullyexposedtoitssurroundings.Atthisstage,the
cadavericecosystemreallycomesintoitsown:ahubformicrobes,insectsandscavengers.
Twospeciescloselylinkedwithdecompositionareblowfliesandfleshflies(andtheirlarvae).Cadavers
giveoffafoul,sicklysweetodor,madeupofacomplexcocktailofvolatilecompoundsthatchangesas
decompositionprogresses.Blowfliesdetectthesmellusingspecializedreceptorsontheirantennae,then
landonthecadaverandlaytheireggsinorificesandopenwounds.Thesmellofdeath
Eachflydepositsaround250eggsthathatchwithin24hours,givingrisetosmallfirststagemaggots.
Thesefeedontherottingfleshandthenmoltintolargermaggots,whichfeedforseveralhoursbefore
moltingagain.Afterfeedingsomemore,theseyetlarger,andnowfattened,maggotswriggleawayfrom
thebody.Theythenpupateandtransformintoadultflies,andthecyclerepeatsuntiltheresnothingleft
forthemtofeedon.
Undertherightconditions,anactivelydecayingbodywillhavelargenumbersofstagethreemaggots
feedingonit.Thismaggotmassgeneratesalotofheat,raisingtheinsidetemperaturebymorethan
10C.LikepenguinshuddlingintheSouthPole,individualmaggotswithinthemassareconstantlyon
themove.Butwhereaspenguinshuddletokeepwarm,maggotsinthemassmovearoundtostaycool.
Itsadoubleedgedsword,Bucheliexplains,surroundedbylargetoyinsectsandacollectionofMonster
HighdollsinherSHSUoffice.Ifyourealwaysattheedge,youmightgeteatenbyabird,andifyoure
alwaysinthecentre,youmightgetcooked.Sotheyreconstantlymovingfromthecentretotheedgesand
back.
Thepresenceoffliesattractspredatorssuchasskinbeetles,mites,ants,waspsandspiders,whichthen
feedonorparasitizetheflieseggsandlarvae.Vulturesandotherscavengers,aswellasotherlargemeat
eatinganimals,mayalsodescenduponthebody.

Intheabsenceofscavengers,though,themaggotsareresponsibleforremovalofthesofttissues.AsCarl
Linnaeus(whodevisedthesystembywhichscientistsnamespecies)notedin1767,threefliescould
consumeahorsecadaverasrapidlyasalion.Thirdstagemaggotswillmoveawayfromacadaverin
largenumbers,oftenfollowingthesameroute.Theiractivityissorigorousthattheirmigrationpaths
maybeseenafterdecompositionisfinished,asdeepfurrowsinthesoilemanatingfromthecadaver.
Everyspeciesthatvisitsacadaverhasauniquerepertoireofgutmicrobes,anddifferenttypesofsoilare
likelytoharbordistinctbacterialcommunitiesthecompositionofwhichisprobablydeterminedby
factorssuchastemperature,moisture,andthesoiltypeandtexture.
Allthesemicrobesmingleandmixwithinthecadavericecosystem.Fliesthatlandonthecadaverwillnot
onlydeposittheireggsonit,butwillalsotakeupsomeofthebacteriatheyfindthereandleavesomeof
theirown.Andtheliquefiedtissuesseepingoutofthebodyallowtheexchangeofbacteriabetweenthe
cadaverandthesoilbeneath.
Whentheytakesamplesfromcadavers,BucheliandLynnedetectbacteriaoriginatingfromtheskinon
thebodyandfromthefliesandscavengersthatvisitit,aswellasfromsoil.Whenabodypurges,thegut
bacteriastarttocomeout,andweseeagreaterproportionofthemoutsidethebody,saysLynne.
Thus,everydeadbodyislikelytohaveauniquemicrobiologicalsignature,andthissignaturemaychange
withtimeaccordingtotheexactconditionsofthedeathscene.Abetterunderstandingofthecomposition
ofthesebacterialcommunities,therelationshipsbetweenthemandhowtheyinfluenceeachotheras
decompositionproceedscouldonedayhelpforensicsteamslearnmoreaboutwhere,whenandhowa
persondied.
Forinstance,detectingDNAsequencesknowntobeuniquetoaparticularorganismorsoiltypeina
cadavercouldhelpcrimesceneinvestigatorslinkthebodyofamurdervictimtoaparticulargeographical
locationornarrowdowntheirsearchforcluesevenfurther,perhapstoaspecificfieldwithinagiven
area.
Therehavebeenseveralcourtcaseswhereforensicentomologyhasreallystoodupandprovided
importantpiecesofthepuzzle,saysBucheli,addingthatshehopesbacteriamightprovideadditional
informationandcouldbecomeanothertooltorefinetimeofdeathestimates.Ihopethatinaboutfive
yearswecanstartusingbacterialdataintrials,shesays.Thetelltalefly
Tothisend,researchersarebusycataloguingthebacterialspeciesinandonthehumanbody,and
studyinghowbacterialpopulationsdifferbetweenindividuals.Iwouldlovetohaveadatasetfromlifeto
death,saysBucheli.Iwouldlovetomeetadonorwhodletmetakebacterialsampleswhiletheyre
alive,throughtheirdeathprocessandwhiletheydecompose.

Unraveling.(Photo:Lightning+KinglyfaceandJessBonham)

Purging
Werelookingatthepurgingfluidthatcomesoutofdecomposingbodies,saysDanielWescott,director
oftheForensicAnthropologyCenteratTexasStateUniversityinSanMarcos.
Wescott,ananthropologistspecializinginskullstructure,isusingamicroCTscannertoanalyzethe
microscopicstructureofthebonesbroughtbackfromthebodyfarm.Healsocollaborateswith
entomologistsandmicrobiologistsincludingJavan,whohasbeenbusyanalyzingsamplesofcadaver
soilcollectedfromtheSanMarcosfacilityaswellascomputerengineersandapilot,whooperatea
dronethattakesaerialphotographsofthefacility.
Iwasreadinganarticleaboutdronesflyingovercropfields,lookingatwhichoneswouldbebestto
plantin,hesays.Theywerelookingatnearinfrared,andorganicallyrichsoilswereadarkercolorthan
theothers.Ithoughtiftheycandothat,thenmaybewecanpickuptheselittlecircles.
Thoselittlecirclesarecadaverdecompositionislands.Adecomposingbodysignificantlyaltersthe
chemistryofthesoilbeneathit,causingchangesthatmaypersistforyears.Purgingtheseepingof
brokendownmaterialsoutofwhatsleftofthebodyreleasesnutrientsintotheunderlyingsoil,and
maggotmigrationtransfersmuchoftheenergyinabodytothewiderenvironment.Eventually,the
wholeprocesscreatesacadaverdecompositionisland,ahighlyconcentratedareaoforganicallyrich
soil.Aswellasreleasingnutrientsintothewiderecosystem,thisattractsotherorganicmaterials,suchas
deadinsectsandfecalmatterfromlargeranimals.
Accordingtooneestimate,anaveragehumanbodyconsistsof5075percentwater,andeverykilogram
ofdrybodymasseventuallyreleases32gofnitrogen,10gofphosphorous,4gofpotassiumand1gof
magnesiumintothesoil.Initially,itkillsoffsomeoftheunderlyingandsurroundingvegetation,possibly

becauseofnitrogentoxicityorbecauseofantibioticsfoundinthebody,whicharesecretedbyinsect
larvaeastheyfeedontheflesh.Ultimately,though,decompositionisbeneficialforthesurrounding
ecosystem.
Themicrobialbiomasswithinthecadaverdecompositionislandisgreaterthaninothernearbyareas.
Nematodeworms,associatedwithdecayanddrawntotheseepingnutrients,becomemoreabundant,
andplantlifebecomesmorediverse.Furtherresearchintohowdecomposingbodiesaltertheecologyof
theirsurroundingsmayprovideanewwayoffindingmurdervictimswhosebodieshavebeenburiedin
shallowgraves.
Gravesoilanalysismayalsoprovideanotherpossiblewayofestimatingtimeofdeath.A2008studyof
thebiochemicalchangesthattakeplaceinacadaverdecompositionislandshowedthatthesoil
concentrationoflipidphosphorousleakingfromacadaverpeaksataround40daysafterdeath,whereas
thoseofnitrogenandextractablephosphorouspeakat72and100days,respectively.Withamore
detailedunderstandingoftheseprocesses,analysesofgravesoilbiochemistrycouldonedayhelp
forensicresearcherstoestimatehowlongagoabodywasplacedinahiddengrave.

NewLife.(Photo:Lightning+KinglyfaceandJessBonham)

Burial
IntherelentlessdryheatofaTexansummer,abodylefttotheelementswillmummifyratherthan
decomposefully.Theskinwillquicklyloseallofitsmoisture,sothatitremainsclingingtothebones
whentheprocessiscomplete.
Thespeedofthechemicalreactionsinvolveddoubleswithevery10Criseintemperature,soacadaver
willreachanadvancedstageofdecompositionafter16daysatanaveragedailytemperatureof25C.By
then,mostofthefleshhasbeenremovedfromthebody,andsothemassmigrationofmaggotsaway
fromthecarcasscanbegin.

TheancientEgyptianslearnedinadvertentlyhowtheenvironmentaffectsdecomposition.Inthe
predynasticperiod,beforetheystartedbuildingelaboratecoffinsandtombs,theywrappedtheirdeadin
linenandburiedthemdirectlyinthesand.Theheatinhibitedtheactivityofmicrobes,whileburial
preventedinsectsfromreachingthebodies,andsotheywereextremelywellpreserved.Lateron,they
beganbuildingelaboratetombsforthedead,inordertoprovideevenbetterfortheirafterlife,butthis
hadtheoppositeoftheintendedeffectseparatingthebodyfromthesandactuallyhastened
decomposition.Andsotheyinventedembalmingandmummification.Hownaturecanmummifyabrain
Embalminginvolvestreatingthebodywithchemicalsthatslowdownthedecompositionprocess.The
ancientEgyptianembalmerwouldfirstwashthebodyofthedeceasedwithpalmwineandNilewater,
removemostoftheinternalorgansthroughanincisionmadedownthelefthandside,andpackitwith
natron(anaturallyoccurringsaltmixturefoundthroughouttheNileValley).Hewouldusealonghook
topullthebrainoutthroughthenostrils,thencovertheentirebodywithnatronandleaveittodryfor40
days.Initially,thedriedorganswereplacedintocanopicjarsthatwereburiedalongsidethebodylater,
theywerewrappedinlinenandreturnedtothebody.Finally,thebodyitselfwaswrappedinmultiple
layersoflinen,inpreparationforburial.MorticiansstudytheancientEgyptianembalmingmethodto
thisday.
Backatthefuneralhome,HollyWilliamsperformssomethingsimilarsothatfamilyandfriendscanview
theirdepartedlovedoneatthefuneralastheyoncewere,ratherthanastheynoware.Forvictimsof
traumaandviolentdeaths,thiscaninvolveextensivefacialreconstruction.
Livinginasmalltown,Williamshasworkedonmanypeopleshekneworgrewupwithfriendswho
overdosed,committedsuicideordiedtextingatthewheel.Whenhermotherdiedfouryearsago,
Williamsdidsomeworkonher,too,addingthefinaltouchesbymakingupherface:Ialwaysdidher
hairandmakeupwhenshewasalive,soIknewhowtodoitjustright.
ShetransfersJohntothepreptable,removeshisclothesandpositionshim,thentakesseveralsmall
bottlesofembalmingfluidfromawallcupboard.Thefluidcontainsamixtureofformaldehyde,methanol
andothersolventsittemporarilypreservesthebodystissuesbylinkingcellularproteinstoeachother
andfixingthemintoplace.Thefluidkillsbacteriaandpreventsthemfrombreakingdowntheproteins
andusingthemasafoodsource.
Williamspoursthebottlescontentsintotheembalmingmachine.Thefluidcomesinanarrayofcolors,
eachmatchingadifferentskintone.Williamswipeshisbodywithawetspongeandmakesadiagonal
incisionjustabovehisleftcollarbone.Sheraisesthecarotidarteryandsubclavianveinfromtheneck,
tiesthemoffwithpiecesofstring,thenpushesacannula(thintube)intothearteryandsmalltweezers
intotheveintoopenupthevessels.
Next,sheswitchesthemachineon,pumpingembalmingfluidintothecarotidarteryandaroundJohns
body.Asthefluidgoesin,bloodpoursoutoftheincision,flowingdownalongthegutterededgesofthe
slopedmetaltableandintoalargesink.Meanwhile,shepicksuponeofhislimbstomassageitgently.It
takesaboutanhourtoremoveallthebloodfromanaveragesizedpersonandreplaceitwithembalming
fluid,Williamssays.Bloodclotscanslowitdown,somassagingbreaksthemupandhelpstheflowof
theembalmingfluid.
Onceallthebloodhasbeenreplaced,shepushesanaspiratorintoJohnsabdomenandsucksthefluids
outofthebodycavity,togetherwithanyurineandfaecesthatmightstillbeinthere.Finally,shesewsup
theincisions,wipesthebodydownasecondtime,setsthefacialfeaturesandredressesit.Johnisnow
readyforhisfuneral.
Embalmedbodiesdoeventuallydecompose.Exactlywhen,andhowlongittakes,dependslargelyonhow
theembalmingwasdone,thetypeofcasketinwhichthebodyisplacedandhowitisburied.Bodiesare,
afterall,merelyformsofenergy,trappedinlumpsofmatterwaitingtobereleasedintothewider
universe.Whatisanaturalburial?
Accordingtothelawsofthermodynamics,energycannotbecreatedordestroyed,onlyconvertedfrom
oneformtoanother.Inotherwords:thingsfallapart,convertingtheirmasstoenergywhiledoingso.
Decompositionisonefinal,morbidreminderthatallmatterintheuniversemustfollowthese
fundamentallaws.Itbreaksusdown,equilibratingourbodilymatterwithitssurroundings,and
recyclingitsothatotherlivingthingscanputittouse.
Ashestoashes,dusttodust.

Thisstory(https://mosaicscience.com/story/whathappensafteryoudie)firstappearedonMosaic
andisrepublishedhereunderaCreativeCommonslicense.
MORE: Death,Microbiome,ForensicScience
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FOLLOWHUFFPOST

Conversations
28comments

Addacomment

MaryJaneGreen TopCommenterLakeWales,Florida
Noembalmingforme.Cremationandthenbepartofatree.
ReplyLike

18 2hoursago

WilliamPennat TopCommenterFitchburg,Massachusetts
Amen.Andpartofthewind,andtheearth....
ReplyLike

3 2hoursago

JohnLaw TopCommenterInfantrymanatRetiredMilitary
Iwanttobedroppedoveroneofthedeepoceantrenches.Letthehagfish
nibble,butIamsureIwillendupasashtoo.
ReplyLike

2 aboutanhourago

LisaLippitz TopCommenter
I'dgowithnaturalburial(noembalming,nocasket,novault)ifitwere
legalnearme.Justbacktotheearthandfertilizetheplants.Asitis,I'm
goingtohavetogowithdonationofanythingusable,thencremationand
scatteringwherevermyfamilydecides.Nofuneral.
ReplyLike

3 aboutanhourago

WilliamPennat TopCommenterFitchburg,Massachusetts
Embalmingandburialarejustmoreexamplesofwrongheadedreligiousdogma
holdingsway.Theresurrectionofthedead.Really?Alltheseembalmedbodiesare
goingtofloatupoutoftheirgraves?ThatshouldmaketheZombieApocalypselook
tame.Hinduismhastherightideacremation....
ReplyLike

5 2hoursago

JoeBreaux TopCommenterLafayette,Louisiana
Ithoughtmassembalmingstartednearthecivilwarsosoldierscouldbe
broughthomeforburials.Burialsareasmuchforthelivingastheyarefor
thedeceased.
ReplyLikeaboutanhourago
JustinCase TopCommenter
JoeBreauxThenyoudon'tneedabody.Justsomepicturesandmaybea
slideshowfortheliving.
ReplyLike

2 aboutanhourago

J.v.Martin TopCommenter
JoeBreauxI'dhavetosayanytraditionorceremonyfollowingadeathis
fortheliving.
ReplyLike

4 aboutanhourago

JohnLaw TopCommenterInfantrymanatRetiredMilitary
Ishallliveon,thoughrathertiny.
ReplyLike

5 aboutanhourago

SteveBerkoff TopCommenterWorksatRetired
IonceaskedmyBuddhistteacher,"wheredowegoafterdeath?"Herepliedthatwe
gobacktothesameplacewewerebeforeourbirth.HethenaskedmeifI
rememberedwhereIwasbeforemybirth,whenIrepliedinthenegative,hesaidthat
hehadnevermetanyonewhodid,andnorhadanyoneevercomebackafterdeathto
tellhimaboutwheretheywent.Hethensmiledandsaidhepreferredtofocusonthe
nowandnotconcernhimselfwiththingsbeyondourcomprehension.Iagree!
ReplyLike

3 aboutanhourago

WalterSchwaneberg TopCommenterDeSalesUniversity
WellI'mjustnotplanningondyingsoIdon'thavetoworryaboutallthis,lol.
ReplyLike

2 aboutanhourago

RobSpencer TopCommenterFairport,NewYork
IknowwhereI'mgoing.Useallthesparepartsandburntherest.
ReplyLike

2 2hoursago

RandallMays TopCommenter
Cremation,andtakethosenastybugswithme.Revengeattheendcanbesosweet.
ReplyLike

1 17minutesago

JustinCase TopCommenter
Cremationiswhereit'sat.Idon'tdigthemummification.
ReplyLike

1 aboutanhourago

AmyWolf
I'mjustsogladI'mnotalonehere,LOL
ReplyLike

1 aboutanhourago

LeeSilver TopCommenter
Whatdoyouthink?IwasaskedtodayifIwantedtobeanorgandonoratthe
Doctor'soffice.IsaidIwouldifIcouldbeguaranteedmycorpsecouldn'tbeusedin
MedicalSchoolwhereeveryonewouldbelookingatmydeadbodyorsenttothe
decayingfields.Shesaidsheneverthoughtofthat.Idon'tknowifitmattersbutI
haveararebloodtypeABandmaybemyorganswouldbemorevaluableforabetter
match.
Anyway,doyouthinkIshouldrethinkmydecisioninthecasemyorganscouldbe
usedtosavesomeone'slife?Plus,afterI'mdead,whocares.MaybeIcouldhelpsolve
amurdercase.
AllIknowisIdon'twantafuneral,anobituaryandanexpensivecasket.Justletme
goandbedonewithit.

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