The human body moves even a year after death. Researches didn't know that
What happens to the human body after death has long fascinated experts. Research conducted by Alyson Wilson sheds new light on this process. As it turns out, the human body can move during decomposition even a year after death.
5:17 PM EDT, October 20, 2023
Up until now, numerous studies have been conducted, the purpose of which was to determine what happens to the human body after death. The results allow us to understand the process that is an inherent part of human life. The analyses conducted by the Australian researcher Alyson Wilson seem to be fascinating.
The human body moves after death
The woman is employed at the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (AFTER), an institution known as the "human body farm". It is a unique facility dedicated to forensic taphonomy, which is the study of human remains and understanding issues related to the physical, chemical, and biological decomposition processes of human bodies. This is where the bodies of "donors" end up, who previously agree that their remains will be used for research purposes after death.
In her research, Wilson used time-lapse cameras that filmed the decomposition of a donor's body at 30-minute intervals for 17 months. It turned out that the body was making various movements. The scientists observed that, among other things, the arms were moving and changing position, which in their opinion could be associated with the shrinking of ligaments as they dried out. What particularly surprised the researchers was not the movement of the dead body itself, but the fact that it could be observed even 17 months after death.
Experts had previously suggested that the body moves after death, but they blamed this on the activity of scavenging insects and the accumulation of gases in the body. Wilson's research sheds new light on previous findings. Especially since they are the first in which cadavers were recorded with time-lapse cameras at 30-minute intervals.
The results of the study may be extremely significant in future police investigations. In an interview for the website abc.net.au, Wilson said: - this is important for victims and their families, and in many cases gives the victim a voice to tell their final story. Knowledge about the movement of a body will help in properly determining the place, time, and cause of death. So far, experts believed that the position in which the body was found is the position in which death occurred, unless there is evidence that the body was moved by other people or animals.
