- Removal of mineralized tissue by natural processes, as in the breakdown of bone by osteoclasts or the disappearance of a tooth.
- Disintegration and assimilation of an embryo or fetus through a natural process involving lysis and removal of all the products of conception by cells of the maternal immune system.
- In multigestational pregnancies, death of one fetus followed by absorption of its tissue by another, sometimes referred to as a "vanishing twin".
Source:
PAC, 2016, 88, 713. 'Glossary of terms used in developmental and reproductive toxicology (IUPAC Recommendations 2016)' on page 800 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-1202)