30 Unbelievable Insights Into Death

Death is the beginning of an amazing adventure—though you might not be there to experience it. Here’s what we understand about the unknown realm.

1. In some states, you can be declared dead, but in others, you might still be considered alive.

This is largely because two states, New York and New Jersey, allow families to reject the idea of brain death if it conflicts with their religious beliefs.

2. Eyes show one of the earliest signs of death.

One of the first visible signs of death is when the eyes start to cloud over, as fluid and oxygen stop reaching the corneas. This can occur within 10 minutes of death if the eyes are open (or up to 24 hours if they are closed).

3. Around 300 people in the U.S. are preserved through cryonics.

Currently, about 300 bodies are frozen in liquid nitrogen across the U.S., with the hope that science will one day find a way to revive them. (And no, Walt Disney is not one of them, despite the rumors.)

4. Fingernails do not keep growing after death.

It's a common misconception that hair and nails grow after death. What actually happens is that the body dehydrates, causing the skin on the head and the nail beds to retract, which makes nails, stubble, and hair appear longer.

5. Rigor mortis is only temporary.

Rigor mortis occurs when certain muscle fibers link together through chemical bonds, but it typically fades in one or two days as those bonds break down. Its duration can be influenced by factors like temperature.

6. Putrescine and cadaverine are responsible for the scent of death.

Two key gases that contribute to the characteristic smell of death are putrescine and cadaverine. These are produced when bacteria break down the amino acids ornithine and lysine, respectively.

7. Dead bodies can sometimes be covered in a substance that resembles soap.

Known scientifically as adipocere (and occasionally referred to as grave wax), this substance is a byproduct of decomposition, occurring when body fat decays under moist, oxygen-deprived conditions. The Mütter Museum in Philadelphia displays a corpse covered in adipocere, while the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., keeps its 'soapman' out of public sight.

8. There are over 200 frozen bodies on Mount Everest.

Climbers and Sherpa guides who perish on Mount Everest are typically left where they fall. Moving a body more than 20,000 feet down the dangerous terrain would pose a significant risk to the rescuers. Similarly, many explorers who died in Antarctica during the Heroic Age were also left behind.

9. Europe’s bog bodies have been preserved for centuries.

The cold, oxygen-deprived, and highly acidic conditions of European peat bogs can preserve bodies with incredible detail for centuries, and even millennia. One of the most well-known examples of these 'bog bodies' is the Iron Age Tollund Man from Denmark. When his body was found in 1950, it appeared so well-preserved that the discoverers thought they had stumbled upon a recent murder victim.

10. Scientists are researching the 'necrobiome.'

The 'necrobiome' refers to the collection of bacteria and fungi found in a corpse. Scientists are exploring whether changes in these microbes could offer clues about the time of death. This concept is known as the 'microbial clock.'

11. Drinking the blood of executed individuals was once believed to be beneficial for health.

In the past, people thought that the blood of freshly executed individuals had medicinal properties and would pay executioners a few coins to drink it directly from the gallows.

12. 'Yield the crow a pudding' is an old slang term for death.

Other expressions included 'hop the twig,' 'snuff one’s glim,' and 'climb the six-foot ladder.'

13. Dead bodies are not inherently dangerous.

Dead bodies aren't typically dangerous just because they are deceased. However, in the 19th century, the 'miasmatic theory' was widely accepted, which suggested that air from decaying bodies and other sources of rot caused the spread of disease. This idea was eventually replaced by germ theory.

14. Embalming is not always required.

Embalming is seldom mandatory by law, except in certain cases where bodies are transported across state lines.

15. A person generates between three and nine pounds of cremated remains.

The average human body produces between three and nine pounds of cremated remains after being incinerated. The cremation chamber, also called a retort, can reach temperatures as high as 2000°F.

16. Victorians captured images of the deceased.

During the Victorian era, it was common to take photographs of deceased loved ones as part of the mourning process. These postmortem photographs were cherished as keepsakes, displayed in homes, shared with friends and family, and even worn in lockets.

17. LOL doesn’t always stand for 'laugh out loud.'

In at least one version of telegraph code, LOL stood for 'loss of life.'

18. One pope had another pope’s body exhumed for questioning.

In 897, Pope Stephen VI ordered the exhumation of the corpse of his predecessor, Pope Formosus, placed him on a throne, and interrogated him about alleged 'crimes' (mainly related to political disagreements). This bizarre event is known as the Cadaver Synod.

19. The word 'mortician' was coined by the funeral industry.

A public relations effort by the funeral industry decided that 'mortician' was a more approachable term for customers than 'undertaker.' The term was selected after a call for suggestions in Embalmer’s Monthly.

20. Abraham Lincoln helped popularize embalming.

Abraham Lincoln’s embalming for his journey from Washington, D.C. to Springfield, Illinois, is often credited with making the practice of embalming more widely accepted among the public.

21. Dance parties can sometimes be deadly.

You're more likely to die at a dance party than from skydiving.

22. Mummies were once ground up and used as pigment for painting.

Between the 16th and early 20th centuries, artists utilized powdered mummies as paint pigment. (It was also considered a powerful medicinal remedy.)

23. The practice of burying people '6 feet under' began during the Great Plague.

The practice of burying graves 6 feet deep originated during the 1665 plague outbreak in England when the mayor of London enforced this depth to curb the spread of disease.

24. No Mormon funeral is complete without Mormon funeral potatoes.

This cheesy dish often contains cornflakes. Other death-related foods include pan de muerto ('bread of the dead') from Mexico for Dia De Los Muertos; ossa dei morti ('bones of the dead') cookies from Italy, symbolizing the bones of deceased saints; and Victorian funeral biscuits.

25. It's not against the law to die in Longyearbyen, Norway.

Despite popular rumors, you're actually permitted to die in Longyearbyen, the unofficial capital of Svalbard. However, since this Arctic settlement lacks nursing homes and only has a small hospital, elderly residents must relocate to the mainland. It is true, however, that the extreme cold there causes bodies to decompose very slowly.

26. Human composting is legal in several states.

In states like Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Colorado, Vermont, and New York, human composting, which involves decomposing bodies into soil within 'recomposition vessels,' has been legalized. The process is odorless, and the resulting material can be used for gardening.

27. Every year, Coloradans celebrate a frozen dead guy.

The Frozen Dead Guy Days festival, held annually in Nederland, Colorado, honors the 110-year-old body of a man kept in a local Tuff Shed surrounded by dry ice in a DIY cryonics setup. The festival includes coffin races, frozen salmon tossing, polar plunging in costume, and frozen t-shirt contests.

28. Safety coffins were invented to prevent the horror of being buried alive.

During the 19th century, several inventors developed ‘safety coffins,’ complete with bells, flags, and air tubes, in hopes of avoiding the tragic mistake of burying someone still alive.

29. Victorian men were generally expected to show less outward grief than women during mourning.

Victorian mourning etiquette varied greatly, but widows were expected to grieve for two and a half years, while widowers typically mourned for just three months.

30. King Charles II paid a hefty price for a tincture made from human skulls.

In the 17th century and beyond, human skulls were immersed in alcohol to create a tincture known as ‘the King’s drops.’ This concoction was believed to treat gout, dropsy (edema), and ‘all fevers putrid or pestilential,’ among other conditions. King Charles II of England reportedly spent £6000 for his personal recipe.

A version of this article was first published in 2019; it has since been updated for 2023.