When a body is not embalmed, what happens to it?

Question

After the death, what happens to the body if it is not embalmed in the ground in a coffin..........
Also Anna Nicole....is in refrigeration, and today they said the body is decomposing rapidly. WHAT is happening to it...can someone discribe it to me.

Answer 1

Microbes are eating the dead flesh, she is rotting. Things rot because its lunchtime for the microbes.... things rot faster if there are insects to help eat the decaying flesh. If you're really interested then read this:

http://www.monroe2boces.org/programs.cfm?subpage=919

Answer 2

Bacteria starts breaking down soft tissues and they start to decay. This causes gases to build up in the tissue and you get bloating. (Surely you've seen a dead animal on the road all swollen up) After that the tissues start to rot. In some instances, the body even start to liquify. Depending on conditions, different things can happen. With mummification the body is dried out; this can be happen naturally in hot arid climates or like the Egyptians did it using salts. "Floaters" decay slower in colder water. (the colder the water, the slower the bacterial growth) There have been whale carcasses that have lasted over a year on the floor of the ocean because there was no bacteria in water that cold. With embalming, the body fluids are removed and replaced with chemicals to preserve the tissues.
The site that Cedar is talking about is called the "Body Farm"

Answer 3

There's this center, somewhere in the South, I think, that gets bodies who've been donated to science and watches them rot. Sick, huh? But it's actually really helpful for forensics and solving crimes, I guess, because then with real murders they're able to tell a lot more about what's happened to the body.

You can look up death on wikipedia, and it'll walk you through it - like, how long it takes for the blood to pool, how quickly various organs deteriorate. Ew, though - be careful; I did and it grossed me out!

Answer 4

Basically every body was made from dust and will return to dust. The embalming process just slows the process a little usually for showing (at funerals) but, ultimately the body will become dust again.

Answer 5

The gut contains bacteria to help you digest your food and when you are no longer taking in food, well...they begin to digest you. Without putting too fine a point on it, you become food for the decomposers.