Even though it may not always be pleasant to think about it, death is a mandatory step for all of us. And what happens next for our body is relatively fascinating (and quite disgusting). You probably know a few things like rigor mortis, but that’s only a tiny part of what happens after death. We have given you a little recap. But before, since no one dies as well as Sean Bean, we had to.
THE FIRST SECONDS
First, brain activity stops. Then your body temperature begins to drop. It gradually drops from 37 ° C to room temperature. If the skin cools quickly, the inside of the body does not. The cooling rate is estimated to be around 1 ° C per hour for the first 24 hours. It is mainly thanks to this phenomenon that the scientific police are able to estimate the time of death. Indeed, depending on the environmental conditions and the body temperature, when it is discovered, it is possible to calculate the time it takes for the temperature to drop, thus giving an indication of the time of death.
AFTER A FEW MINUTES
Skin cells start to die from lack of oxygen. They start to dry up and fall off. This is when the putrefaction process begins: the decomposition of organic matter by fungi and bacteria.
AFTER A FEW HOURS
Cadaveric rigidity happens: the muscles lose their elasticity. This phenomenon occurs 30 minutes to two hours after death. It is due to bridges that form between certain proteins: actin and myosin. This state lasts 36 hours after death and then the rigidity disappears. The muscles then relax, which has the effect of emptying the rest of the excrement that the body had not yet evacuated. Loss of urine and fecal matter is common after death.
As the skin dries up, it gives the impression that the nails and hair are growing. Gravity also draws the blood, which is no longer flowing, downwards. The skin then becomes very pale with just a few red spots in some places.
AFTER A FEW DAYS
You turn green because certain enzymes in your organs start to self-digest, with the help of a few more bacteria. The smell of the corpse begins to become very foul because the body releases certain chemicals such as putrescine or cadaverine.
AFTER SOME WEEKS
Worms make your body their new favorite meal. They can swallow up 60% in a week. You will also turn purple now as bacteria eat away at your body. The hair is starting to fall out. Then your tissues will decompose for several months until all that is left is your skeleton.
