Here we'll explore the biological process of death and also clear up some basic questions about the science of it all. Find out how the mind reacts to death and how people try to cope with it. Death is treated very differently all around the world. Here we'll discuss the various religious and cultural differences. Discover the social implications of death and how death affects society. Discuss death related topics with other surfers.

Science It Ain't Magic: Why Unoxygenated Cells Die Unless dehydration or starvation occurs, death always comes down to oxygen not getting to organs in the body. Now, it would be one thing to say that cells can't function without oxygen, which is true. But why do cells die from it? The answer is acidosis-- the cells inadvertently poison themselves. When a cell doesn't get oxygen for it to make energy with, it tries to make energy itself. This works for a very short while, but the byproduct of such self-metabolism is acid, and such acid makes the difference between a cell just not functioning and a cell dying. The acid that cells produce when they don't have oxygen actually kills the cell and those surrounding it. It also gets into the bloodstream, killing blood cells and other tissues as well. Thus, if cells didn't try to make energy themselves, or if they didn't produce acid by doing so, cells wouldn't die, but simply not function, and when oxygen returned they would pick up right where they left off and continue to function as normal. Resuscitation of a dead individual would be possible. It's rather ironic that they could simply sit there not functioning and remain still until oxygen returns, and they'd survive-- yet by trying to keep themselves alive cells die. Copyright 2001. Created by a Thinkquest team. Feel free to email us at C0122781@thinkquest.org.