What is the process that reduces human remains to bone fragments by combustion and evaporation in the presence of an open flame?

Cremation is the process that reduces human remains to bone fragments through high temperatures and flame. In cremation, the body is exposed to intense heat, typically in a cremation chamber, where fire consumes organic matter, leading to combustion and evaporation. This process effectively transforms the body into ash and bone fragments, which are the final remains.

This method is favored in many cultures for its efficiency, ability to reduce the carbon footprint when compared to traditional burial methods, and the option it provides for memorialization through ash scattering or keeping in urns.

Inhumation refers to the traditional burial of remains in the ground, while resomation involves the use of water and alkaline hydrolysis to dissolve the body, which is a different method entirely. Direct burial is simply the act of burying the body without any cremation or additional methods of preparation. These alternatives highlight the distinctions from cremation, which is characterized by its use of heat to achieve the final form of remains.