Why didn’t this 2,000 year old body decompose? - Carolyn Marshall

Discover the surprising biodiversity of soil, and how its microbes help support all life on Earth.

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It may not appear very lively six feet underground, but a single teaspoon of soil contains more organisms than there are human beings on the planet. From bacteria and algae to fungi and protozoa, soils are home to one quarter of Earth’s biodiversity. And perhaps soil’s most important inhabitants are its microbes. Carolyn Marshall digs into how soil’s invisible helpers support all life on Earth.

Lesson by Carolyn Marshall, directed by Ivana Bošnjak and Thomas Johnson.

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Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Karthik Cherala, Joshua Merchant, Clarence E. Harper Jr., Clarissa Bartolini-Toro, Exal Enrique Cisneros Tuch, Srikote Naewchampa, Tejas Dc, Khalifa Alhulail, Martin Stephen, Dan Paterniti, Jose Henrique Leopoldo e Silva, Elnathan Joshua Bangayan, Jayant Sahewal, Mandeep Singh, Abhijit Kiran Valluri, Morgan Williams, Kris Siverhus, Devin Harris, Joy Love Om, Pavel Zalevskiy, Marc Bilodeau, Karen Goepen-Wee, Filip Dabrowski, Barbara Smalley, Megan Douglas, Chris, Tim Leistikow, Renhe Ji, Ka-Hei Law, Leora Allen, Mark Morris, Misaki Sato, EdoKun , Boytsov Ilya, SookKwan Loong, Bev Millar, Lex Azevedo, Noa Shore, Kyle Nguyen, Michael Aquilina, MJ Tan Mingjie, Dawn Jordan, Prasanth Mathialagan, Samuel Doerle, David Rosario, Siamak H, Manav parmar, David Lucsanyi, Anthony Kudolo and Ryohky Araya.

[roastingnerd]

The claymation style is so unique and suitable to the current subject, its jagged like decomposition.

[Dr_Steve.N]

Whoever animated this deserves a raise.

[TristanSamuel]

Imagine stumbling across a mutilated body while walking around a swamp

[hamiltonianpathondodecahed]

Imagine 2000 years later someone telling the world about what you ate today

[athenaparthenos]

This is actually interesting because I remember reading about the most well-preserved bog body, the Tollund man in an encyclopaedia when I was little. How a body could survive for so long perfectly preserved fascinated me endlessly. It's one of the reasons why I pursued history in the future. Thanks, Ted-Ed for fostering the same curiosity and inquisitiveness in the future generations. Also, kudos to the artist for the wonderful animation

[smashedpasta]

This woman’s voice is so lively, it’s like she’s narrating a kids’ story. I enjoy listening to it so much
Edit: ah yes, being a top comment and having a race argument in the replies. Now I have officially known fame

[unnamed]

Body: didn't decompose

Me:

*He ate too many cup noodles*

[Miniiii]

Ok but can we talk about this stop motion animation type art that they've used here? More like these please Ted Ed, and kudos to whoever did this, its seriously beautiful.

[umarscamartistjohnson]

*He shared beauty secrets with the queen of england*

[iwatchedtoomuchsaikik]

Body: doesnt decompose
Future people: eh just a normal body

[pitalovr]

This animation is oddly beautiful. It’s like a cross between Coraline and Van Gogh

[lovell]

Bog: *No decomposition here
Bacteria: *_Understandable! Have a great day_*

[cinnamonxguy]

Maybe he's on a diet so his last meal is a charred bread only

[Dor]

"Me has a math test Tomorrow"
Also me:- what happened to this body?
Edit:- I got very low marks, but I got 200 Subscribers ( a small price to pay for salvation)

[nethu]

*The spaghnum moss is also called peat moss. Hence a peat bog...This is used as a soil conditioner which increases the soil's capacity to hold water and nutrients by increasing capillary forces and cation exchange capacity – uses that are particularly useful in gardening*

[ashrazterrian]

I saw this in London museum.. It is strangely fascinating!

[mainichewitz]

Microbes: It's decomposition time!
Peat bog: We don't do that here

[jonathangauthier]

I love the stop-motion animation. The textures really help to convey to processes of decomposition while remaining child-friendly. Amazing job!

[Kneirros]

Me: I don't want to be forgotten once I'm gone from this world.

Also me when I saw this: *Let me plan my funeral.*

[toonfan]

The animators of TED-Ed deserves an Oscar.