Professor Brian Cox - How we got here

[Griffin NoName]

Good easy to understand TV.

This week was the stars, how as they die and they prduce eg. iron but need to becaome supernovas before dying to produce heavier elements. Elelements being building blocks for us. (I paraphrase). What concerns me is burials aren't a very efficient way of releasing elememts from dead bodies back into the universe, shouldn't we be dusbursing out bodies better to ensure the re-use of what makes them up? After all, if Indian tradition is right, what goes around comes around.

nb. this is the sort of thing that worries me when i can't sleep at 4 in the morning so a bit garbled by wearinsess. Maybe should be in easy questions.

[Swatopluk]

Well, most cultures know some practices of cannibalism. Up to the early 20th century human flesh and fat could be bought at the pharmacy as medicine. What do you think Mumia Vera Aegyptica was? The only 'problem' was to make sure it was ancient mummified bodies indeed and not some fresher substitute (like dead babies), which became increasingly common with the decreasing supply of the former due to overuse. Even modern chemical encyclopedias have Menschenfett (human fat) as an entry.

[Aggie]

There are lots of things that are rather good at getting at buried nutrients, creepy crawlies and deep-rooted plants included.  Opting for a non-embalmed burial and a plain pine box might help.

Cremation and wind dispersion does a good job of getting the elements back in the cycle, but is wasteful of nutrients.

[Swatopluk]

Catherine the Great of Russia banned the use of coffins and decreed sacks instead.
I doubt it was about deforestation though