Alkalescent Fluid Keeps 2,000-year-old Corpse Intact: Expert Alkalescent fluid seems to have kept a 2,000-year-old female corpse intact, though it is widely believed that bacteria grow and reproduce faster in an alkaline environment, say experts. The well-preserved corpse, which is believed to date from the Western Han Dynasty (BC 206 - AD 24), was unearthed on July 8 at a construction site in Lianyungang, eastern Jiangsu Province. Earlier reports said the corpse still had elastic muscle tissue after being immersed in a special fluid in her coffin. The fluid had a PH scale of 7.55, said Bai Ling, a...