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17th September 2024
05:37pm BST
Scientists believe they have discovered a ‘third state’ of existence between life and death.
According to researchers, the third state is where the cells of a dead organism continue to function after the organism’s death.
They say that the organism’s cells are gaining new capabilities that they did not possess in life.
If more experiments with the cells from dead animals and human show they can enter the third state, it could redefine legal death.
The new study in Physiology has been led by Professor Peter Noble at the University of Washington in Seattle and Alex Pozhitkov at City of Hope National Medical Centre, Duarte California.
In a new piece for The Conversation, they said: “Life and death are traditionally viewed as opposites but the emergence of new multicellular life-forms from the cells of a dead organism introduces a 'third state' that lies beyond the traditional boundaries of life and death.
“Certain cells – when provided with nutrients, oxygen, bioelectricity or biochemical cues – have the capacity to transform into multicellular organisms with new functions after death.”
In 2021, researchers in the US found that skin cells from dead frogs were able to adapt to a petri dish in a lab, spontaneously reorganising into multicellular organisms called xenobots.
Researchers concluded that these organisms showed behaviours beyond their original biological roles by using their Cilia to move through surroundings. Cilia are small, hair-like structures.
Other scientists found that human lung cells can self-assemble into miniature multicellular organisms that can move around called anthrobots.
They can also repair themselves and injured nerve cells nearby which the team says are examples of cell functions that don’t exist in life.
How certain cells function in the third state after an organism dies remains unclear, but one potential Frankenstein-style explanation is a hidden system of 'electrical circuits' that reanimate the cells.
They said: “One hypothesis is specialized channels and pumps embedded in the outer membranes of cells serve as intricate electrical circuits.
“These channels and pumps generate electrical signals that allow cells to communicate with each other and execute specific functions such as growth and movement, shaping the structure of the organism they form.”
Environmental conditions as well as energy sources could influence whether the cells have this capability.
The study concludes: “This research has the potential to transform regenerative medicine, redefine legal death, and provide insights into life's physiological limits, paralleling inquiries in embryogenesis.”
