eli5: Why do drowned bodies sink and then float?
In: Biology
Well, human bodies are denser than water. However, our guts are filled with gasses, that give us close to neutral buoyancy. That is, why if you deeply exhale in a pool, you sink. If you die, water replaces the gas in your lungs and you sink. As you rot, your body is broken down and decomposition gases like methane begin building up. They have higher buoyancy than water, and so the body rises to the surface.
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