It looks like a scene from a horror movie: a corpse with long hair and nails. Who has never heard the story that our hair and nails keep growing after death? Is this story true?
Well, as in many science myths, experts don't always come to a consensus. For some, this story is pure bullshit: a group of American scientists claims that the impression that hair and nails continued to grow is conveyed due to the retraction of the skin after death.
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As for the coordinator of the Department of Genetics at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), José Arthur Chiese, the myth is true: he explains that the cells are still alive after the person is considered dead, so the nails and hair keep growing for a while, until the body's reserves end.
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
DANTAS, James. "Do hair and nails grow after death?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/curiosidades/cabelos-unhas-crescem-apos-morte.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
