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Decomposition or rot is the process by which dead organic substances are broken down into simpler organic or inorganic matter such as carbon dioxide, water, simple sugars and mineral salts. The process is a part of the nutrient cycle and is essential for recycling the finite matter that occupies physical space in the biosphere.
Decay heat is the heat released as a result of radioactive decay. This heat is produced as an effect of radiation on materials: the energy of the alpha, beta or gamma radiation is converted into the thermal movement of atoms. Decay heat occurs naturally from decay of long-lived radioisotopes that are primordially present from the Earth's formation.
Corpse farms are used to study the decay of the human body and to gain insight into how environmental and endogenous factors affect progression through the stages of decomposition. [8] In summer, high temperatures can accelerate the stages of decomposition: heat encourages the breakdown of organic material, and bacteria also grow faster in a ...
About 50% of the Earth's internal heat originates from radioactive decay. [17] Four radioactive isotopes are responsible for the majority of radiogenic heat because of their enrichment relative to other radioactive isotopes: uranium-238 ( 238 U), uranium-235 ( 235 U), thorium-232 ( 232 Th), and potassium-40 ( 40 K). [ 18 ]
The second law of thermodynamics is a physical law based on universal empirical observation concerning heat and energy interconversions.A simple statement of the law is that heat always flows spontaneously from hotter to colder regions of matter (or 'downhill' in terms of the temperature gradient).
Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S. Yet, according to the American Heart Association, half of Americans are unaware of this sobering statistic. The good news is that a diet ...
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“For example, a dog may have a three-to six-hour rhythm, and so that's why they're sleeping part of the time, and then they're up,” says Dr. Pristas. “Human beings have a sleep pattern that ...