Visible signs and characteristics. 1  There is a noticeable break in the pattern of the waves: the water often looks flat at the rip, in contrast to the lines of breaking waves on either side of the rip. 2  A river of foam: the surface of the rip sometimes looks foamy, because the current is carrying foam from the surf out to open water.
At the same time, without circulation to keep it moving through the body, blood starts to pool and settle. Rigor mortis, or a stiffening of the body, sets in about two to six hours after death [source: Marchant, Middleton]. While the body as a whole may be dead, little things within the body are still alive. Skin cells, for example, can be viably harvested for up to 24 hours after death [source: Mims]. But some things that are still alive lead to the putrefaction, or decomposition, of the body -- we're talking about little organisms that live in the intestines.
How long do cold and flu germs stay alive after infected people cough or sneeze? Answers from James M. Steckelberg, M.D. Cold and flu germ-laden droplets may remain infectious for several hours, depending on where they fall. Germs generally remain active longer on stainless steel, plastic and similar hard surfaces than on fabric and other soft surfaces. Other factors, such as the amount of virus deposited on a surface and the temperature and humidity of the environment, also determine how long cold and flu germs stay active outside the body.It's possible to catch the flu or a cold after handling an object an ...