I understand that energy is lnever destroyed it only changes shape. What happens to our energy when we die?

Answer 1

Bacteria (and maybe other critters) decompose our bodies and turn the chemical energy into heat.

Answer 2

Mass (matter) goes through various stages
from conception to elimination. The particle
energy that forms mass can both burn and
decompose. But where does the mass really
come from, and where does it really go?

The new Hadron Collider will attempt to solve
this mystery. The Hadron Collider is a kin to
the Telatron Smasher and is set to begin
operation this Nov 2007. The collider will
play "crash" with isolated protons to
observe the breakdown of the bosons that
constitute the proton.

To date, scientists have concluded that
the bosons known as "quarks" are
indestructible by nature and hold onto
their individual characteristics, even when
reduced to black hole energy.

Should be interesting, come November.

Answer 3

Our heat energy dissipates into the surrounding air molecules, our chemical energy is converted by bachteria and insects to another form of chemical energy and heat energy.

And then your body is gone, eventually. All of it's energy has passed on to other things.

Answer 4

when we die, our bodies decompose and some of the energy is moved into the soil, which is picked up by plants to use as energy for food, some is picked picked up as food energy by the little bugs that eat dead carcasses, and some is also given off as heat.

Answer 5

We assume room temperature.
The energy, in the form of heat, is absorbed by the surrounding environment.

Answer 6

bless you ! a question for critical thinkers !thank you!

this is the kind of thing that's sooo hard to quantify.
there really is very little difference between a living body and a dead one....just that "spark of life". the fact that we can kill you and bring you back (don't try @ home) alludes to it.
at death...WHO KNOWS ! most are afraid it just dissipates, and that's it....i like to think of us as part of a larger system.
let's postulate...we are part of 'Earth-system'...for the most
part a sealed jar that lets in light ect.
we are surrounded by a substantial and rather complex magnetic field that keeps out a huge list of deadly radiation.
But , it also keeps things in....certain radio waves bounce off and come right back down...ask any HAM operator.
what if , in a metaphoric way, the hindus/buddists are right..
mother nature recycles everything else...?

Hey ...it's just as viable as standing on a cloud .
After all ... is a book REALLY "true", just because it says it's
true in the book ?


round and round we go !

Answer 7

Depending on where you die and how exposed your body is, you will either be broken down by scavengers and bacteria or just bacteria.