Preservation
Dr. Killgrove analyzes tissue decay and explains how the putrefying process begins when microbes begin to eat the tissue shortly after death. “They grow, they reproduce, and they start taking over the body,” she explained. But a property within the chestnut tree prevented nature from taking its course. Chestnut trees contain tannin, an organic substance that acts as a desiccant and absorbs moisture. It was the lack of moisture that prevented microbes from beginning the decaying process. But what about scavengers living outside the tree?
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