What happens to our bodies after we die? - Farnaz Khatibi Jafari

翻译人员: Yuyang Zhao 校对人员: Cissy Yun

Since the dawn of humanity,

自从人类出现，

an estimated 100.8 billion people have lived and died,

估计一共有一千零八十亿人，

a number that increases by about .8% of the world's population each year.

这个数字大约以每年0.8%的速度增加。

What happens to all of those people's bodies after they die

人类死亡后，他们的尸体到底怎么办?

and will the planet eventually run out of burial space?

地球会不会有一天没有空间来埋葬逝者呢？

When a person's heart stops beating,

当人的心脏停止跳动的时，

the body passes through several stages before it begins decomposing.

身体在分解前要经历几个时期。

Within minutes after death,

在死后的几分钟内，

the blood begins settling in the lower-most parts of the body.

血液开始在身体的底部沉积。

Usually eight to twelve hours later,

通常八到十二个小时后，

the skin in those areas is discolored by livor mortis, or post-mortem stain.

表面的皮肤会出现尸斑，或称死后污斑。

And while at the moment of death the body's muscles relax completely

人体的肌肉在死亡时会完全放松

in a condition called primary flaccidity,

在前期肌肉萎缩的情况下

they stiffen about two to six hours later in what's known as rigor mortis.

尸体会在两到六个小时后僵硬，也就是“尸僵”

This stiffening spreads through the muscles,

这种僵硬通过肌肉扩展，

and its speed can be affected by age, gender, and the surrounding environment.

其速度与年龄、性别和周围环境有关

The body also changes temperature,

尸体的温度也会变化，

usually cooling off to match its environment.

通常会降温至环境的温度。

Next comes decomposition,

接下来开始腐败，

the process by which bacteria and insects break apart the body.

这个过程就是细菌和昆虫分解尸体。

Many factors affect the rate of decomposition.

许多因素会影响分解快慢。

There is, however, a basic guide of the effect of the environment on decompositon

但是，环境对尸体腐烂的影响还是有规律的

called Casper's Law.

它被称为卡斯波规律。

It says that if all other factors are equal,

也就是，其它的因素不变

a body exposed to air decomposes twice as fast as one immersed in water

暴露在空气中的尸体的分解速度是浸入水中的两倍

and eight times as fast as one buried in earth.

是埋入土中的8倍。

Soil acidity also greatly affects bone preservation.

土的酸度对骨骼的保留又很大影响。

High-acidity soils with a pH of less than 5.3

PH值小于5.3的高酸度土

will rapidly decompose bone,

会迅速分解骨骼，

whereas in a neutral or basic soil with a pH of 7 or more,

而中性土或PH值大于等于7的土，

a skeleton can remain in relatively good condition for centuries.

骨架能很好地保留几个世纪。

Different cultures throughout history have developed unique approaches to burials.

不同的文化发展出独特的埋葬方式。

As far back as the first Neanderthal burials,

很久以前的穴居人的埋葬方式，

death was accompanied by rituals,

死亡伴随着一种仪式，

like the positioning, coloring, or decorating of corpses.

比如尸体的位置、染色和装饰。

Traditional Christian burials decorate the body in dress,

在传统的基督教葬礼上，尸体穿上服装，

while in traditional Islam,

而传统的穆斯林葬礼，

a body is wrapped in a piece of ritual fabric

尸体用仪式用织物包裹

with the face oriented toward Mecca.

面向麦加方向。

Traditional Hindus ceremonially burn the body,

在传统的印度教葬礼上，会将尸体火化

and Zoroastrians, followers of one of the oldest monotheistic religions,

索罗亚斯德教的教徒，最古老神教之一的追随者，

traditionally place bodies atop a tower to expose them to the Sun

传统上，把尸体放到塔顶，由太阳暴晒

and scavenging birds.`

和任由鸟类啄食。

Before the Industrial Revolution, burials were simple and accessible.

工业革命以前，埋葬是简单而容易的。

These days, with suitable burial land running out in high-population areas,

目前，人口密集地区的合适墓地已经快要用完，

purchasing private gravesites can be costly,

购买私人墓地是非常昂贵的，

and many people can't afford simple burials.

以至于很多人负担不起简单的葬礼。

Even cremation, the second most common burial practice in the world,

甚至火化，世界上第二种最普遍的埋葬形式，

comes with a high cost.

也需要很高的费用。

As for the question of running out of space,

至于有没有埋葬空间的问题，

the issue isn't so much about total land in the world

其实这与地球总体土地面积无多大关系

as it is that large populations cluster together within cities.

因为大量的人口集聚在城市内。

Most of the big cities in the world

世界上的大部分大城市

may run out of suitable burial grounds within a century.

在一个世纪内，合适的墓地就会用尽

For London, it's even sooner.

对伦敦来说，甚至更快。

That may happen by 2035.

可能在2035就用尽了。

So are there alternatives to traditional burials

那么有可以替代传统埋葬的方式

that might help with the space issue?

能解决墓地空间问题吗？

In some countries, skyscraper cemeteries enable vertical burials.

在一些国家，出现了高楼墓地，可以垂直的埋葬更多逝者。

Some options focus on the body's relationship with the environment.

一些方法集中在尸体与环境的关系方面。

Promession, for example, freeze-dries and pulverizes the body,

例如，专业的冻干和磨碎尸体，

creating a powder that can turn into compost

做成粉末，和氧气与水混合

when mixed with oxygen and water.

制成肥料

There are also green burials that use special materials,

也有采用特殊材料的绿色埋葬，

such as biodegradable caskets,

比如生物降解骨灰盒，

urns that sprout trees,

可以长成树的骨灰瓮

and burial suits that grow mushrooms.

可以生长蘑菇的骨灰装备。

Eternal reefs take that concept to the depths of the ocean

“永生珊瑚礁”将这一想法带到了深海

using a mixture of ashes and cement to create marine habitats for sea life.

用骨灰和水泥混合，可建造海洋生物的栖息地

Death is an inevitable part of the human condition,

死亡是人类无法回避的，

but how we treat bodies and burials continues to evolve.

可是如何埋葬和处理尸体一直在发展

We may each have different spiritual,

我们每个人可能有不同的信仰，

religious,

宗教，

or practical approaches to dying,

或者实际的死亡方式，

but the ever-increasing demand for burial space

可是，对于埋葬空间的持续需求

might give us a push to be creative

使我们对人生最后一阶段后 尸体的去处

about where our bodies go after the final stages of life.

有更多有创意的想法