The coroner of a small town was sent a body to examine. The coroner explained to her technician that the body had rigor mortis because of

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Rigor mortis occurs due to a lack of energy needed to separate actin and myosin molecules, leading to the stiffness of muscles after death. Option A (a drop in ACh levels after death) is not correct because ACh is involved in muscle contraction, and its levels decrease with aging or disease, not after death. Option C (an increase in intracellular calcium concentrations after death) is incorrect because it can occur due to cell death and not just after death while option D (the breakdown of troponin molecules after death) is incorrect because troponin molecules degrade over time, but this does not lead to rigor mortis.

The Coroner of a Small Town Was Sent a Body