Solving Crimes with the Necrobiome | I Contain Multitudes

We can’t talk to the dead, but in their own way, the dead can speak to us.
Death and decomposition is the beginning of new life for the many microbes that take over our bodies after we die: an environment known as the “necrobiome.” Jessica Metcalf, assistant professor at Colorado State University, studies these microbial communities and the activity that takes place in and around a corpse. She takes Ed Yong through the stages of decomposition and how the complex interaction of organisms during the decomposition process can produce useful knowledge for crime investigators. Through forensic experiments, Jessica and her team are now able to more accurately estimate time of death by sequencing the DNA from the microbes found on and around decomposing bodies.
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[@cesar8197]

There is life in death... such a beautiful contradiction.
thank you.

[@petercarioscia9189]

You deserve so many more subs. I love this channel

[@Lord-ym4rq]

Your videos are awesome, it's always amazing to learn more about this huge and at the same time tiny universe we're made of, and in a way we were made by.

[@KlaraJunker]

Great video as always! But I can't seem to find any links to the articles you mention..!?

[@Edo9River]

Hey, I asked you a question a long time ago, of practical importance in my opinion, and I still haven't heard from you. How can I adapt my gut to a new country's food quickly and easily? What are the issues involved? I want to avoid "the runs".

[@alainbally6720]

Great video but left me wondering if there's a difference between the microbes of the necrobiome and flesh eating bacteria since they both seem to thrive in the absence of a functioning immune system. Inquiring minds want to know ;-)

[@icontainmultitudes1070]

Great question, and this brings up an interesting point. It is true, being immunocompromised opens up opportunities to many pathogenic viruses, bacteria, and fungi, including those responsible for necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating bacteria). One distinction that could be made is that once a body becomes a corpse, microbes that are no longer considered pathogens...they are decomposers! These decomposers come from various sources and play different roles in decomposition. For instance, while a corpse is still in the “fresh” and “bloat” stages, microbes that were part of the internal microbiome are actively breaking down body tissue - these may even include pathogens being harbored in the body. There may also be an influx of new microbes introduced from the environment that aid in decomposition, including microbes that would otherwise not be invading the body while it was alive.

[@pprehn5268]

Our dear friend chose to be composted which is legal in Washinton.

[@istvansipos9940]

and where is this channel now? dead? I don't see recent uploads :- (

[@princesspaige89]

i'm dead, lol

[@onesikhtrx]

Why are microbes able to reproduce
quickly & without limit in the FRESH
stage of death?

[@-0__________________________0-]

sick

[@user-hu2sy8ge4s]

He