Scientist Reveals What Happens To The Human Body After Death

Death is often seen as the end of life, but science offers a different way to understand it. According to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, the human body does not simply disappear after death. Instead, it changes form, continuing its journey in the universe in different ways, reported NYPost.

In a recent episode of his podcast StarTalk, Tyson explained that when a person dies, they transform rather than vanish. He clarified that what happens next depends on how the body is handled after death, mainly through burial or cremation.

Tyson explained that in modern society, people generally have two choices after death, burial or cremation. He said he prefers burial because the energy in the body is recycled back into nature.

He stated that the human body is built over time through food, exercise, and the development of organs, muscles, and tissues, and that even after death, the molecules in the body still contain energy. He further explained that when a body is buried and decomposes, this energy is absorbed by microbes, plants, and animals that feed on the remains, returning it to the Earth.

This process involves bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms breaking down the body's fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.

Tyson also explained that cremation does not waste this energy. Instead, when a body is burned, the energy stored in its molecules is converted into heat. This heat then radiates outward as infrared energy, moving through space at the speed of light.

He added that this released energy continues to travel through space. For example, he explained that if a person was cremated four years ago, the energy from their body would have reached the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri. He described this as a way in which a person remains part of the universe, but in a different form.

Tyson's explanation is based on the First Law of Thermodynamics, which states that matter cannot be created or destroyed and can only change from one form to another.

In a separate explanation, engineer Arvin Ash described what happens to atoms after death. He explained that after cremation, ashes can mix with soil, be absorbed by plants, and eventually enter the food chain. Over time, these particles can become part of other living beings, continuing the natural cycle of life.