We may not be so different from zombies when we die, after all. A new study analyzing bacterial communities involved in the decomposition of corpses illustrates how a cadaver becomes a living, thriving ecosystem for microorganisms.
The study, published recently in PLOS ONE, reveals that the type of bacteria embroiled in human decomposition can change over time.
Researchers from Sam Houston State University and Baylor College of Medicine - both in Texas - say that until now, little has been known about the bacterial diversity involved in breaking down a corpse.
While previous studies have been limited to a traditional approach of culturing bacteria, the team says that most of these microorganisms in the human body cannot be cultured in a lab experiment.
So, they remedied this problem by observing two human cadavers as they decomposed outside under natural conditions at the Southeast Texas Applied Forensic Science facility.
And rather than using traditional cultures, the researchers used a method involving gene sequencing to analyze the bacterial DNA.
A major advantage of this technique is that it enabled the team to measure bacterial genes in any region of the cadavers, allowing them to map out the entire microbial community at different points in the decomposition process.
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