Years After Your Death, A Crucial Component Of Your Body Will Still Function
The diverse ecosystem of billions of microorganisms found in each human body is vital to your health while you are still alive. You may create vital vitamins, stay healthy by being protected from infections, and perform many other crucial tasks thanks to these microbial symbionts. As a result, the bacteria, which are mainly found in your gut, get to live in a climate that is generally stable, warm, and fed regularly. But what happens to these mutually beneficial partners when you pass away? I’ve been fascinated about our postmortem microbial legacy as an environmental microbiologist who studies the necrobiome—the microorganisms that dwell in, on, and around a rotting body. You could believe that after human body deteriorates and your microorganisms are released into the environment, they won’t survive in the outside world. My research group and I present evidence in a recently published study showing your bacteria not only live on after you pass away, but they also play a signifi...