MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Can Dead Bodies Tan?
Surprisingly, dead people can tan! According to a paper published in The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology in 2023, “postmortem tanning”, as it’s called, has & does occur. The paper analyzed 3 instances of bodies that demonstrated sun damage via tan lines that matched their clothing. In the first, a woman, who was found frozen, got thawed out in a laboratory, and handlers found the body had “brown pigment transformation” on exposed areas of the skin while the skin underneath her clothing was unaffected. Then there was a male body that was recovered after having been hit by a car. After having been exposed to the sun for several hours before being located by authorities, that body’s tanned skin was also consistent with the awkward pattern of how their clothes were arranged. And in the 3rd case, a male gunshot victim also presented with tanned skin in an area of his body exposed due to rumpled clothing.
What makes these scenarios interesting (and kind of creepy) is that tanning is basically how a living person’s skin responds to harmful UV rays; it’s a metabolic process that shouldn’t happen in the dead. In two of the cases, though, the bodies were discovered in freezing temperatures, so experts think the necessary metabolic pathways were theoretically preserved somehow. But that doesn’t explain the third body, which was retrieved in a warm summer climate.
It’s important to note that there are other causes of skin color changes in death. Mummification can darken the skin when it becomes dehydrated & brittle, as in dry, hot climates. There’s also a phenomenon known as “bog body formation,” in which corpses left in acidic peat bogs prompt a chemical response in the skin that can lead to browning. But while the subject matter may seem morbid, postmortem tanning could be a key factor in forensic analysis, since it could help determine a time of death & potentially lead to answers in a criminal investigation. Of course, sun exposure can also be a cause of death, too, which is why you should always wear sunscreen.
Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me an email: [email protected].
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Wake Up Crew Highlights: May 31, 2024
House of the Week – 5/31/24
🌟🏡 Welcome to your new home at 44 Wenner Dr, Brunswick, MD! Priced at $275,000.📅 Open House: Saturday, 6/1 from 12pm to 2pmThis charming end-unit townhome offers:– 🛌 3 Bedrooms– 🛁 1.5 Baths– 🏠 Newly installed carpet and a fresh coat of paint– 🍳 All new stainless steel appliances– 🌳 Finished walkout level basement– 🏡 Fenced yard with a cozy rear patio and a terraced yard– 🌲 Backs to a serene stream and lush treesPerfect for commuters:– 🚂 Prime location close to the MARC train for easy accessDon’t miss out on this property in a fantastic location! Come see it this Saturday and make it yours!
Barry Glotfelty
Wake Up Crew Highlights: May 30, 2024
MUNDANE MYSTERIES: What Makes Something A “Hot Button Issue”?
There’s so much going on in the world these days. So many “hot button issues”, as news anchors & political pundits call them. But what actually is a “hot button issue” anyway? Why is it called that?
Nowadays, the term “hot-button issue” refers to any situation with a heavy emotional undercurrent. If a subject gets people upset, agitated, excited, or just off-kilter, then that button’s temperature is high. Immigration, politicians, abortion, war…those are just a few of the hottest of hot-button topics. But the Oxford English Dictionary says that the very first known use of the phrase “hot button” was about religion. It was a 1966 New York Times article, where a Lutheran scholar was said to have recognized that “the ‘God Is Dead’ theologians have their finger on the ‘hot button.’”
But there’s also a less common commercial meaning, where a desire, need, or concern motivates people to choose among consumer goods, as well as any product, idea, or form of advertising that exploits that motivation. So, it would seem that both marketers & politicians know which of our buttons they need to push so that they can get an immediate, visceral reaction.
But why label an issue a “hot button”? Well, in the case of marketers, they view your desire or need for a product as a “hot button”. And the assumption is that the marketers’ advertising will hopefully ‘push’ that button within you so that you’ll ultimately buy their product so that that need or desire gets satisfied.
So, when you push someone’s hot button, if it’s a product then they’ll hopefully buy what you’re selling. Or if it’s a topical idea, then, one way or another, they’ll hopefully buy into the idea you’re pushing with an immediate, knee-jerk reaction.
Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me an email at [email protected].
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