Although they’re careful not to specify, after some digging I found that the artist whose project started this was working with oyster and shiitake mushrooms. Both of which feed on decaying wood. Supposedly there’s also some mycorrhizae in there, too, but they’re soil bacteria that grow around plant roots, so that’s not any more relevant until long after the body is already broken down. So yeah, it’s nonsense.
Yep.
You mean mold? They grow on cooked and preserved meats, which are drier. There’s also a difference between “growing on” and “breaking down.” Mold remains very superficial on meats. And plant parts aren’t anything like animal parts, when it comes to their nutritional value to fungi. Plus, the fungi she’s using are wood digesters.
I know - it’s a wasted start to a Stroganoff!
Unlike this project, which is full of shiitake!
Spend 1500 dollars on the suit and you can be part of the testing! (The research on this, according to them amounts to, “We saw some studies about how good fungus are for cleaning up soil.” Nothing about whether they’re relevant for cleaning up bodies. The artist was growing the fungi on her hair and nail clippings, too. Which would be great if humans were made entirely of keratin…)
Dunno about those cartel-style lye and heat burials. How are Disneyland fans supposed to smuggle a 55 gallon drum of uncle Fred’s liquid remains into the park to scatter?
Sure, and the world was much less crowded, and humanity wasn’t staring down the barrel of environmental degradation… Plus, while mummification was common, only the elite got really large elaborate tombs, so the generally burials probably took up less room. And given the environment (desert in the case of N. Africa/Middle East, mummification would happen naturally. Not the case in much of the US.
I was imagining a body farm also (I’ve read Dr. Bass’s book on the one in Tennessee), but I couldn’t imagine that, or any serious, body farm offering ground for a for-profit venture… even if the ‘exchange’ included use of the ‘data’ acquired.
This mushroom suit, or almost anything that doesn’t involve embalming and non-biodegradable caskets, makes sense. I like this idea from the Neptune Society, which does cremations and burials at sea:
The Memorial Reef™ is an artificial reef 3.25 miles east of Key Biscayne, not far from Miami, Florida. Built as an artistic interpretation of the Lost City of Atlantis, the Neptune Memorial Reef™ is a memorial site. Those who choose cremation for final needs may opt for their remains to be deployed to the Neptune Memorial Reef™.
Well maybe SOME of us want to be dug up half way perserved in 1000 years… including with the documentation that they were magical Sith Lord king who ruled over all of the tri-state area with an iron fist, yet was loved by his subjects…
At least I assume there is one person like that out there.
