21 Grams

[Wyatt_Junker]

They say the uniform weight lost when a body dies is 21 grams or about 5 nickels. Thus far, it can't be explained physiologically unless there is some kind of airbubble or vapor lock that is somehow suddenly released upon death.

I don't think its bowel evacuation nor is it piss either. That's calculated in with the base weight prior to kicking off.

Anyway, it was the poetic theme that kept resurfacing in a movie I saw last night, called, you guessed it, 21 Grams.

It was kinda shitty in some ways, depressing and as usual Hollywood libeled Christians as moronic simpletons. And *ugh* it starred Sean Penn.

But the concept was interesting about death.

Just wondering if its true or if anyone else has heard of such a thing and if the scientific community has tried to explain it away.

[Riverboat]

So dead weight is actually less than the alive and kickin' kind? That puts things in a whole new light. I guess your soul weighs about five nickels. That's about how much a soul is worth for some people.

[OurDubya]

Just wondering if its true or if anyone else has heard of such a thing and if the scientific community has tried to explain it away.

Junk science. Here's a good web site (http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s1105956.htm) on the topic.

[Peachdiane]

They say the uniform weight lost when a body dies is 21 grams or about 5 nickels. Thus far, it can't be explained physiologically unless there is some kind of airbubble or vapor lock that is somehow suddenly released upon death.

I don't think its bowel evacuation nor is it piss either. That's calculated in with the base weight prior to kicking off.

That's the first thing that came to my mind... gotta be either evaporation of sweat or the residual air in the lungs expelling?