Science

Here's what happens to your body after you die

By Skye Gould and Rebecca Harrington
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Each one of us will shuffle off this mortal coil at some point. What happens next is a fascinating — if frightening — natural process.

After your heart stops beating, your body slowly begins to decay without preservation techniques like embalming or mummification.

It starts small, down at the cellular level. Then bacteria, animals, and even the body itself begins to digest your organs and tissues.

Here's how the complete process of decay plays out.

What happens to your body when you die
Skye Gould/Tech Insider

Sources: Nature (1), Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology (2), Microbiology Today (3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 11), EPEC Participant’s Handbook (5, 6), BMJ, Australian Museum (10), Decomposition of Human Remains (12)

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Skye Gould
Skye Gould
Skye was the Design Director for Business Insider and Insider. She led the Graphics and Photo teams in producing all graphics, data visualizations, story art, photography, and special projects for the newsroom.
rebecca harrington's face on a gray background
Rebecca Harrington
Rebecca was an Executive Editor for Business Insider's news division, overseeing the Science, Speed news, Weekend news, LA news, Visual Features, and Voices of Color desks. She worked across teams to assign, coordinate, and edit breaking news, explainers, features, analysis, and investigations. She also developed guides, trainings, and coaching opportunities for the newsroom to get better every day.Rebecca started as a reporter on Tech Insider's science section in 2015, covering everything from solar energy and rocket launches to Zika, before moving to the news team during the summer of 2016 at the height of the presidential election and then running weekend coverage for 2 years. She's previously worked with the Politics, Military & Defense, and Video teams, and served as an editorial liaison with the product team that powers the CMS.She received her Master's degree from the Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program at New York University, as well as a BS in Biology and a BA in Journalism from the University of Minnesota. Rebecca has also written for Popular Science, Scientific American, Scienceline, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and the Minnesota Daily.ExpertiseBreaking news, legal analysis, criminal justice, police misconduct, public health, abortion, space, energy, visual features, extreme weather, White House history, voting rights, executive actionsPopular articlesJust don't call it 'climate change': What Republicans in Dallas can teach us about saving the planetWhat Buzz Aldrin was thinking when he left the moonHow the 25th Amendment works to remove a sitting presidentHurricane categories tell only part of the storyTRUMP'S FIRST 100 DAYS: Here's how they compare with Obama's, Bush's, and Clinton's
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