Why does rotting flesh smell

Different species colonise a cadaver in successive waves and at different stages of decomposition, using their exquisitely sensitive olfactory systems — which have adapted over millions of years of evolution — to home in on decaying flesh.

As a result, different species might identify different components in the smell, which might only be given off during certain stages of decay. Such devices could one day be used to locate the bodies of people who die in natural disasters, such as buried earthquake victims, or murder victims whose bodies have been buried in shallow graves. They could find applications beyond forensics, too, particularly in the food industry.

Devices that are sensitive to the smell of decay may, for example, help with estimating how long fish or meat have been kept in storage or help factory workers identify spoiled products before they are sent out to be sold. This article first appeared on Mosaic and is republished here under Creative Commons license. Image by Getty. Ms McCreith is urging young people to get vaccinated and play their part in stopping the spread of coronavirus, as part of the Spread the Facts campaign, by the NHS and local councils in Cheshire and Merseyside.

You can also send story ideas to northwest. Long Covid: 'I'm feeling quite good after vaccine'. Long Covid fatigue 'cut by regular exercise'.

Major study into long Covid launched in Scotland. Middle-aged women 'worst affected by long Covid'. Champs Public Health Collaborative. Image source, Sally McCreith. Sally McCreith says eating is difficult as everything has a "vile smell".

Long Covid: Why are some people not recovering? This gas then finds its way out of the body and fouls the air of wherever the dead body has been laid. In fact, even though some gas escapes, so much gas can remain trapped inside the body that the pressure builds and the body will explode.

This process of bacteria producing noticeable gas can take days. A decomposing body will typically have a smell of rotting meat with fruity undertones. Exactly what the smell will be like depends on a multitude of factors:.

In addition to the plethora of bacteria, there are enzymes digesting cell walls, which eventually break through to the open air and contribute to the dead body smell.