What happens to your body after you die

There's no fighting it; each of us will die at some point. What happens next is a fascinating - if frightening - natural process.

Without preservation techniques like embalming or mummification, your body slowly begins to decay the second your heart stops beating.

It starts small, down at the cellular level. Your cells die, then bacteria, animals, and even the body itself digests your organs and tissues.

Here's how the complete, gruesome process plays out:

Skye Gould/Business Insider

Sources: Nature, Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, Microbiology Today, EPEC Participant's Handbook, BMJ, Australian Museum, Decomposition of Human Remains

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