I was at the beach today thinking I’m basically just a slab of meat in the sun. How come I don’t rot? What prevents living things from decomposing and how does that change when we die?
In: Biology
The cells in your body that do die are handled in a controlled manner. Phagocytes consume damaged and dying cells. The kidneys filter out harmful materials out of the blood, including the contents of cell interiors. The liver neutralizes toxins, again, some of which may have been released. Many other bodily systems help maintain balance—salinity, acidity/alkalinity, temperature, etc.
A lot of other cells in your body die regularly, but are eventually exposed to the outside world. The outer layer of your skin is dead, but also pretty durable and resistant. Same for your hair. Certain cells inside of your mouth, stomach, and intestines are abraded as food passes along; these cells eventually join your food and the community of microbes that exist in your gut, or wind up in the toilet.
Everything else is kept alive by the steady flow of oxygen and nutrients, and favorable conditions (tolerable temperature, moderate air pressure, etc.). When conditions are no longer favorable, and there is no further intake of oxygen and nutrients, the rate of cell death overwhelms what the body can clear, and other organisms can take advantage of the new environment and failing immune response. Membranes degrade, allowing more freedom of movement. Toxic substances accumulate. Complex structures break down, becoming food and debris for other forms of life. Anaerobic microbes that were earlier halted by oxygen, are now free to roam.
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