The intestinal microbiota remains active even years after the death of its host
Does everything end with death? Maybe that’s not really the case. And this is not a religious discussion, but a scientific one. At least the gut microbiota remains active for months or even years after the death of its host.
The conclusion emerges from a study signed by Tennessee researchers and published by the scientific journal Ecological Processes. The scientists performed the analysis by simulating the natural process of human decomposition, combining the type of soil that would fill a grave with samples of microbes that remain on the body after death.
They thus verified that these microorganisms resisted the absence of oxygen, feeding on the reserves of carbohydrates, proteins and fats present in the body. What’s more: these microbes mix with microorganisms present in the soil, accelerating the decomposition process.
“It is not uncommon to see plants blooming near a decomposing animal, visible evidence that nutrients in the bodies are being recycled back into the ecosystem,” says Jennifer M. DeBruyn, an environmental microbiologist at the University of Tennessee, according to the paper. O Globe.
“The fact that our microbes play an important role in this cycle is a microscopic way of living after death,” he adds. Jennifer is a co-author of the study.
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Source: Terra
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