Researchers have discovered an intermediate state between life and death. Indeed, some cells manage to regenerate.
What if it was possible to endure beyond death? Many scientists have looked into the question, including Robert Ettinger, the father of cryogenics, a method of preserving corpses at very low temperatures (around -196°C). To date, more than 2,000 people around the world have signed a cryonics contract, hoping to wake up years later thanks to advances in science. In the meantime, research on the subject is progressing. In a recent study, a group of biologists claim to have discovered a “third state” to life and death.
Death is generally defined as “the irreversible cessation of the general functioning of a living being.” But there may be cases where this definition needs to be qualified. In chickens, for example, it is quite common to observe the animal running after being decapitated. For good reason, if the spinal cord or brain stem remains intact when killed, involuntary movements may remain. These are automatic reflexes: like when we startle when we are frightened.
It’s the same principle for organ donation. Despite the lack of brain activity, tissues, cells and organs continue to live for some time after the death of the organism. American researchers Peter A. Noble and Alex Pozhitkov wondered why they survived. They therefore carried out a battery of tests on skin cells extracted from deceased frogs. According to their observations, these cells, also called “xenobotes”, managed to adapt themselves to the conditions of the Petri dishes in which they were confined. “Even if an organism dies, some of its cells retain the capacity to reorganize themselves and can form new life structures,” summarizes Peter Noble.
They have thus managed to modify their physical form and function by using their “cilia” to move around their environment. In living embryos, these cilia were present on the border of the esophagus and served to move mucus. Their plasticity is such that in addition to repairing themselves, xenobotes are capable of repairing damaged nerve cells present nearby.
Science is progressing considerably on the subject. Studies have shown that human lung cells can, similarly, spontaneously assemble into small, multicellular organisms capable of movement. This work also shows that cells, depending on their nature, have different survival times. In humans, for example, white blood cells are destroyed within 60 to 86 hours after death.
But not all cells are equal. Aside from age, general health and gender, their ability to survive depends on environmental conditions, metabolic activity (energy requirement) and conservation methods. Furthermore, if genes often face stress, trauma or infections, they are more likely to experience extensive postmortem activity. According to scientists, the loss of homeostasis is the cause since it allows a living organism to maintain the various constants of its body (temperature, blood flow, blood pressure, etc.).
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