# After Death

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-death/42957>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 28, 2000, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-death/42957 "2000-11-28T01:59:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![insider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@insider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/insider)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2000, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-death/42957/1 "2000-11-28T01:59:30Z")

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How long does the body continue its processes and which one of these processes lasts the longest? Any help greatly appreciated.

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**Author:** ![insider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@insider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/insider)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2000, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-death/42957/2 "2000-11-28T02:02:24Z")

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I forgot to add that these processes are post mortem. Thanks. I put this in the body (no pun intended ) but not in the subject.

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**Author:** ![jamshid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecd19e/32.png) [@jamshid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jamshid)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2000, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-death/42957/3 "2000-11-28T02:03:41Z")

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Decomposition, which lasts until it’s done. This depends on humidity and other factors, of course.

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**Author:** ![Uniball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Uniball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniball)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2000, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-death/42957/4 "2000-11-28T02:25:55Z")

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And then comes fossilization. And then, 20.000 years later, you end up mummified in some museum, with wise ass scientists telling the world that you were gay.

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**Author:** ![Stupendous\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Stupendous\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stupendous_man)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2000, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-death/42957/5 "2000-11-28T02:27:32Z")

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Once the body is dead, none of it’s processes, except for maybe a tiny bit of in-stomach digestion may occur from already-existing acids and foodstuffs.

A common myth is that hair and fingernails continue to grow after death, but this is false. This illusion is caused by the recession of skin, especially noticed around the fingernails.

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**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2000, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-death/42957/6 "2000-11-28T03:01:39Z")

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And I’ll point out that decomposition isn’t really a process that’s done by the body. It’s carried out by microbes chewing you to little bits.