Latest news with #decomposition
Independent Singapore
12-06-2025
- Independent Singapore
Decomposing body of 76-year-old found in Jurong West flat after days of no contact
SINGAPORE: A 76-year-old man was found dead in his Jurong West flat on the evening of June 7, after family members were unable to reach him for several days. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) confirmed that it received a call for assistance at Block 967B, Jurong West Street 93, at around 7pm on June 7. Upon arrival, SCDF personnel found the elderly man unresponsive and pronounced him dead at the scene. A friend of a family member of the deceased told Stomp that the family member had raised the alarm after repeated failed attempts to contact the man. The last known communication with the late Singaporean was reportedly on May 31. The same update indicated that the man's body was discovered in a state of decomposition, suggesting he may have died four to five days prior to being found. The man reportedly died of natural causes. The police are not treating the case as suspicious and have thus far found no evidence of foul play.
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Brutal video shows what happens to our bodies seconds, hours and YEARS after we die
A video revealing in unsettling detail what happens to the body after we die has gone viral on social media, attracting more than eight million views. The animated clip was created by YouTuber Zack who specialises in graphic 'explainers' on everything from nosebleed first aid to execution by insects. It begins with the death of a man who is then enclosed in a coffin—and goes on to show the gruesome processes of decomposition that begin pretty much immediately. The thousands of commentators seemed divided in their verdict on the video, with one post—which has had 37,000 likes—stating simply: 'Moral of the story: don't die.' Another wrote: 'Seeing this with cancer felt insane...' Others indicated they felt reassured: 'Thanks Zack I really needed this,' posted one. 'If there's more after this life, I hope it's beautiful.' Speaking to MailOnline, experts, however, warned against 'blunt and dehumanising' descriptions of death 'intended to shock', and questioned the motives of Zack who has more than 21 million subcribers on YouTube. The clip begins 'the day after you die'—the heart has stopped, and, as the voice-over explains 'most of your blood settles in the parts of your body closest to the ground'. 'This causes purple and read patches to appear on the skin,' the voiceover continues. The animation shows the blood flowing to the back of the deceased man's head and the rest of his body touching the base of the coffin. It zooms into show the red and purple discolouration that appears as the blood settles in these parts of the body. 'Then bacteria and enzymes break down the organs, releasing gas that causes bloating,' it explains. The green enzymes can be seen in the deceased man's intestines, which release gas that look like hundreds of tiny bubbles. Previously, MailOnline report an account by forensic doctor from Texas, Mileida Bohórque, about what happens when she works with dead bodies. The claimed the bloating and gas production can actually make the corpse appear to 'fart'. At this point, the simulation becomes even more graphic and appears to show the man's skin disintegrating leaving nothing but a skeleton. The voiceover explains: 'After a few weeks all of the organs and soft tissue including your eyes liquefy and your skin starts to fall off. 'And over the course of several years your remaining tissue continues to decay and eventually all that is left is a skeleton.' This grim process is shown in gory detail as the eyeballs turn to liquid appearing to melt away in the horrifying simulation. It may be upsetting to think about what we would like to happen to our bodies after we die, but the choices can impact how long this process takes. If you opt to for being buried in a coffin, your body will start to decay within 12 months, taking up to a decade to fully 'skelontize', Daniel Wescott, director of the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State University, told Live Science. Without a coffin it can take five years according to Nicholas Passalacqua, an associate professor the Forensic Osteology Research Station at Western Carolina University—as insects and other elements can help the process more quickly. It follows a rise in recent years of eco-friendly alternatives to burial and cremation from 'human composting' to 'water cremation'. In human composting, bodies are placed on a bed of organic material such as woodchips, which speeds up decomposition and produces soil. End-of-life 'doula' Anna Lyons, who works with families and individuals, helping them prepare for death, welcomed the idea of discussing death, but questioned Zack way of going about it. 'Correct information is never a bad thing, but in my work at least, delivery of information is as important as the information itself—and the delivery of this is blunt and dehumanising,' she said. 'That's not to say it's not important to have it out there. Things that provoke conversations about end of life, death, dying and grief are mostly a good thing. 'So many people now watch this kind of content—I guess it's the sensitivity of this particular short that I'd question.' This month, MailOnline reported 'water cremations' also dubbed 'boil in a bag' funerals could be legally approved in the UK. It involves rapidly decomposing a corpse in water and alkaline chemicals under high temperatures, leaving only liquid and bones. The liquid, known as 'effluent', can go down the drain with other wastewater and bones that can be ground to ash for the bereaved owner to take home. Advocates say the method is better for the environment, but others believe it is an undignified way to dispose of the dead. Critics argue that dissolving bodies and disposing of the resulting liquid down the sewers along with other wastewater lacks dignity. In certain religious and cultural communities, water cremation is barred due to its perceived desecration of the body Dr Lian Lundy, a wastewater specialist at Middlesex University, said the biggest hurdle blocking it in the UK is social acceptability. 'Some people view it as basically mixing up my loved one with poo in the sewer and they don't like that,' she told the Telegraph. In 2023, the Church of England announced they are considering these two alternatives to traditional burials and cremation with a consultation. The method is now being considered in a new consultation into funerary methods by the independent Law Commission.
Reuters
28-05-2025
- General
- Reuters
Eleven bodies found in beached boat in Eastern Caribbean
KINGSTOWN, May 27 (Reuters) - Police in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Tuesday said they found a boat beached on the shore of Canouan island carrying the remains of what they believed to be 11 people who may be from Mali, though investigations into their identities are ongoing. "Several passports were recovered at the scene which appear to be from the Republic of Mali," Superintendent Junior Simmons said in a video message. "The remains were in an advanced state of decomposition, and some were not fully intact." Local police received on Monday morning around 10:45 a.m. (1445 GMT) a report about the 45-foot vessel that washed ashore in Little Bay on Canouan, to the south of the archipelago Caribbean nation. Simmons said the remains had been transported to mainland St. Vincent pending further forensic and investigative procedures. In nearby St. Kitts and Nevis, authorities in January said they had discovered a vessel where they found the bodies of 19 people who they estimated had been at sea for a long period due to the advanced stage of decomposition. They also found identifications suggesting some of those passengers also came from Mali, a landlocked West African nation some 6,200 km (3,850 miles) east across the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic Ocean off the West African coast is among the world's most dangerous maritime routes, with strong westerly currents and winds capable of driving vessels far off course.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Furniture brand shocks industry with futuristic innovation that destroys its own products: 'We wanted to get to the next level'
If self-cannibalizing furniture sounds far-fetched, think again: A new ingredient in plastic is making that a reality. After years of experimenting with sustainable alternatives to conventional plastic, high-end plastic furniture maker Heller has introduced an enzyme to accelerate the decomposition process. Fast Company reported on the development, which marks a revolutionary milestone for both the furniture industry and the future of plastic waste. The enzyme, which is mixed into the plastic in powdered form, essentially turns the plastic into something appetizing for microorganisms to eat, accelerating a naturally occurring process. It was developed by the research company Worry Free Plastics. Crucially for the indoor-outdoor furniture maker, the enzyme only activates when the furniture is in a zero-oxygen environment — such as a landfill, the ocean, or even soil. From day to day, it remains solid; in a zero-oxygen environment, according to the company, it will degrade in approximately five years. This is an incredible improvement on the typical decomposition of plastic, as a piece of plastic can take up to 500 years to degrade, per the United Nations. Even then, it just breaks down into microplastics and chemicals, contaminating the water and soil in its surroundings. When microorganisms process this plastic, the only byproduct is biogas and nutrient-rich soil — and it happens on a remarkably quick timeline. Worry Free Plastics estimates that its enzyme could help a plastic bottle degrade in approximately seven and a half years and a plastic bag in five. John Edelman, president and CEO of Heller, said that simply looking at recycled plastics wasn't enough to meet the company's environmental goals. "We wanted to get to the next level and become more sustainable," he said, per Fast Company. "How can we be good for the planet and create incredible design?" Even better for consumers, the new biodegradability won't change the price tag. "It's a drop-in technology," said Philip Myers, Worry Free Plastics co-founder. "It doesn't require them to change their equipment, their process — anything. It's plug and play." Heller introduced the enzyme to its production line in November, and the company expects the new products to completely replace old inventory in the coming months to years. "My goal is to do something that is sustainable and at the same price," Edelman said. "We actually achieved our goal of not just using recycled products, not just being recyclable, but going back to the earth." If self-destroying plastic isn't available, opting for plastic-free alternatives for everyday products is a great way to reduce your own plastic pollution and help create a cleaner world. Which of these factors would be your biggest motivator in buying eco-friendly furniture? Durable materials Chic design Lower price Not interested Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Irish Times
20-05-2025
- Irish Times
Cause of Tina Satchwell's death could not be determined because of decomposition, pathologist says
A cause of death for Tina Satchwell , whose skeletal remains were found buried under her Co Cork home more than six years after she disappeared, cannot be determined, the Central Criminal Court has heard. Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster told the continuing trial of Richard Satchwell , who denies murdering his wife, that the cause of Ms Satchwell's death could not be established during a postmortem due to the level of decomposition. Dr Bolster said the significance of the presence of a dressing grown belt – draped diagonally from the left across the front of the body, brought under the right arm and then knotted – was 'unclear'. She said it was in 'a very unusual position'. The pathologist said Ms Satchwell's skull had come apart from her body due to decomposition and there was no evidence of any bone fractures. READ MORE Under cross-examination by defence counsel Brendan Grehan, Dr Bolster said the position of the belt was 'not a usual place' to knot a dressing gown. She agreed that the belt was neither around the neck nor the body. She agreed that the positioning of it made it appear 'like something used to carry a body'. 'That was my impression when I saw this,' she said, adding that she said she has been moving bodies all her life and ligatures are very often used as a means to do so. Dr Bolster agreed there were no bone fractures, no evidence of previous fractures or any signs of trauma to the bones. There was no fracture to the hyoid bone in the neck which, she agreed with Mr Grehan, has not much more than the consistency of a matchstick. In her experience of cases of manual strangulation or throttling, this particular bone is fractured in about 73 per cent of cases with a much lesser incidence of fracturing, about 24 per cent, in cases of ligature strangulation. The pathologist said she has carried out more than 30,000 postmortems in her career. Dr Bolster was giving evidence in the continuing trial of Mr Satchwell (58) who has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Satchwell (45) at their home on Grattan Street, Youghal, between March 19th and 20th, 2017. The jury has heard decomposed human remains, identified as those of Ms Satchwell, were discovered during a forensic search of the property on October 11th, 2023, some 6½ years after Mr Satchwell reported his wife missing. After the remains were discovered, Mr Satchwell told gardaí his wife had come at him with a chisel on the morning of March 20th and that he had used the belt of her dressing gown to fend her off. He said she 'went limp' and died. The prosecution case is that Mr Satchwell put his wife's body in a freezer in a shed before burying her in a grave dug under the stairs in their home. In evidence ton Tuesday, Dr Bolster told Gerardine Small SC, prosecuting, that she was asked to attend the scene at Grattan Street on October 12th, 2023, and that she examined the remains of Ms Satchwell, which were wrapped in black plastic. She concluded a postmortem the following morning in the mortuary in Cork. The pathologist agreed that the remains were skeletal and Ms Satchwell's medical records showed she was previously in good health. The body was wrapped in what looked like a soiled bed sheet and bones could be seen protruding through the sheet, the court heard. The body was lying face down and was wearing a dressing gown. A gold-coloured purse, labelled Playboy, was removed from the pocket, and contained various cards, including a Tesco club card and a public service card in name of Tina Mary Satchwell. The trial continues at the Central Criminal Court before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of seven women and five men.
