5 Curious Things Science Has Discovered About Death

If there is one thing that no one can escape forever from, it is death, and it represents a subject that at the same time causes real fascination and fear in people. We at Mega Curioso have already covered this topic in countless stories - revealing general curiosities about it, what happens to us after we die, what are the most common causes of death in the world, different ways of dealing with it, ways to experience it. etc.

For researcher Jonathan Jong listed in an interesting article - published by The Conversation - a selection of amazing discoveries that science has made about death, and you can check out the following:

1 - It can be - more or less - predicted

In fact, it is not that death can be - more or less - predicted, but rather the life expectancy of an individual. According to Jonathan, scientists discovered in the 1960s that, contrary to popular belief, the cells in our body are unable to replicate indefinitely and therefore are not immortal. They stop after dividing between 50 and 70 times, and the researchers observed another interesting thing.

Telomeres - which are basically DNA sequences that sit at the ends of our chromosomes - shrink with each cell division, and when they become too short, the cells stop dividing and die. Thus, since researchers have discovered this, there is increasing evidence that telomere length can serve to measure the life expectancy of humans and other living things.

Certainly, as Jonathan explained, not all studies conducted on the subject have confirmed that telomeres can be used as a “thermometer” to predict how long a person can live or whether their shortening is what causes aging or if this process It's just a symptom.

On the other hand, if telomere length is associated with aging, if science ever finds out how to manipulate its extension, then we may be able to significantly extend the life span.

2 - Thinking about it makes us more prejudiced

A series of studies - more than 200 and involving thousands of people from around the world - conducted over 25 years suggests that thinking about one's own death can have curious effects on behavior.

Research has shown that considering mortality itself can make us more condescending towards racists, as well as less tolerant of prostitution and less supportive of LGBTTT rights, for example.

Moreover, according to Jonathan, research has shown that thinking about death can also arouse in us the desire to have more children - and give them our names! - and even make atheists more likely to believe in God and the afterlife.

3 - Your scent is sweet

Everyone knows that decomposing human bodies are not the most aromatic things on the planet - even those who have never had the displeasure of smelling the rotting corpses. The characteristic odor is the result of a combination of over 400 different volatile chemical compounds, many of which are common in animals other than humans.

However, according to Jonathan, one study found that five elements - more precisely, five esters, ie organic compounds that react with water and produce acids and alcohols - are found exclusively in humans.

Interestingly, although these substances are comparable to those produced by other animals - such as pigs, birds, and frogs - they are also released by fruit when they rot. In fact, if you ever hear a police officer, doctor, or forensic expert complain that death smells sweet and sickly, you will understand what they mean.

4 - The nails and hair do not keep growing

Have you heard that nails and hair keep growing even after death? In fact, this is a myth, and what really happens is that bodies dehydrate as the decomposition process progresses, and it "shrinks" them. So with the shrinkage of skin and other tissues, we get the impression that nails and hair get longer - but it's all optical illusion.

According to Jonathan, in fact, nails and hair are already "dead" tissues, produced by the hair follicles and nail matrix, which are under the skin. These structures depend on the action of hormones and the supply of substances such as oils and proteins to be generated, and these ingredients are no longer supplied after we die.

5 - Fear of dying tends to decrease with age

Interestingly, studies in the US have shown that rather than older people being more afraid of death - theoretically, it is closer to older people - young people are most afraid. According to Jonathan, one of the surveys revealed that individuals aged 40 to 50 are more concerned with death than individuals between 70 and 80 years.

Other research has found that people in their 60s feel less afraid of dying than young people or middle-aged individuals. Another study also showed that, after age 20, the fear of death tends to diminish as we get older, and for men, worry ceases at around 60 and for women between 40 and 50.

However, Jonathan explained that although these studies were conducted with various age groups, they did not follow participants throughout their lives to see if their attitudes toward death changed over time or not. Therefore, it is possible that the relationship between age and fear of dying revealed by research reflects the attitude of specific generations.

* Posted on 10/12/2015