Death and Decomposition

One of my favorite articles at h2g2: BBC – h2g2 – The Processes of Death and Decomposition

What is Death?

Death is the irreversible loss of the properties of living matter – that is to say, death is the cessation of life. It is when the body shuts down its machineries of life, never to start up again.

There are basically two phases of death:

1. somatic death, which is the cessation of the vital process, and
2. molecular death, which is the progressive disintegration of the body.

Follow-up:
The Medicalization of Death