It is a scene straight out of a horror film: a lifeless body suddenly sitting up or an arm slowly shifting on an embalming table. While these moments often serve as jump scares in movies, forensic experts and medical professionals confirm that movements after death are real and can be scientifically explained.
These movements are not a sign of the supernatural. Instead, they result from complex biological and chemical changes as the body begins to break down.
The Lazarus reflex: When the body ‘wakes’
One of the most surprising phenomena is the Lazarus sign. This occurs mainly in brain-dead patients when life support is turned off. The body may spontaneously lift its arms, bend them at the elbows, and cross them over the chest.
The cause: This is not a sign of returning life; it is a spinal reflex.
The mechanism: Controlled by the cervical spinal cord instead of the brain, these movements can happen due to a lack of oxygen during apnea testing or the cooling of the body.
Why do bodies move? The biological breakdown
Post-mortem movements generally fit into three scientific categories:
1. Residual Nerve Activity (Minutes after death)
Right after the heart stops, some nerve cells stay active. Remaining electrical impulses and chemical reactions can create minor muscle twitches or jerks. These are most common in the fingers and facial muscles.
2. Rigor Mortis (Hours after death)
About 2 to 6 hours after death, the body enters rigor mortis.
The science: Muscles need ATP (adenosine triphosphate) to relax. When the body stops producing ATP, calcium leaks into muscle cells, causing them to lock in a contracted state.
The effect: As rigor mortis fades after 24 to 72 hours, the relaxation of these stiff muscles can cause a limb to shift or settle, giving the illusion of deliberate movement.
3. Decomposition and gas pressure (Days to months after death)
As bacteria start the process of putrefaction, they release gases that build up inside the torso and limbs. This internal pressure can lead to bloating or slight movement of the body.
The 17-month study: Arms that ‘walk’
In a groundbreaking 2019 study, researchers at the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (AFTER) used time-lapse cameras to track a body’s decomposition over 17 months.
Researcher Alyson Wilson shared that the movement was much more significant than previously thought. “What we found was that the arms were significantly moving,” Wilson told ABC Australia. “Arms that started off down beside the body ended up out to the side.”
The study found that as the body’s ligaments dry out and shrink, they act like tightening strings. This pulls on the limbs and causes them to reposition long after the twitching phase has ended. This discovery could greatly impact forensic science because investigators used to assume that a body’s position when found was always its position at the time of death.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
