By Amber Roman
Sep 21, 2024, 09:00 AM EDT
In a discovery that could change our understanding of what it means to be alive or dead, Scientists have identified what they call a “third state” between life and death.
This new concept suggests that, After an organism dies, certain cells within it not only survive, but may even develop capabilities they did not have during the organism’s lifetime.
The results of this research, published in the journal Physiology, have sparked a debate about how we should define legal and biological death.
A team of researchers led by Professor Peter Noble of the University of Washington in Seattle and Alex Pozhitkov of the City of Hope National Medical Center in California has proposed a new way of looking at life and death.
In an article for The Conversation magazine, the scientists explain that for centuries, life and death have been seen as clear opposites: one is either alive or dead, with no middle ground. However, their discoveries have revealed a state between those two extremes, where individual cells within a dead organism can not only survive, but reorganize and take on new functions.
The team notes that this “third state” is particularly observed in cells that, when supplied with oxygen, nutrients and biochemical signals, can transform into multicellular life forms. This unusual behavior of cells after the death of the organism challenges traditional notions of death, suggesting that biological processes continue after death.
Organs from deceased donors
A clear example of this phenomenon can be observed in modern medical practice. Organs, tissues and cells from deceased donors can continue to function when they are transplanted to another organism.
This ability of organs and tissues to survive, reorganize and continue their functions is tangible evidence of this third state between life and death. Research is now focused on better understanding how this process can take place and how these cells can acquire new capabilities.
In previous research, the team had already found clues that led them to rethink their understanding of what happens after death. In 2021, a study using skin cells from deceased frogs found that The cells began to develop tiny structures called cilia, which are normally used to move mucus in living organisms. However, in this case, the cilia allowed the cells to navigate their environment, something they did not do while the organism was alive.
Another example was found in a study with human lung cells. In the study, these cells were able to reorganize, move and even repair not only their own structures, but also those of nearby cells.
This type of cellular behavior is similar to that of xenobots, spontaneously reorganized multicellular organisms, which have demonstrated the ability to replicate without following the typical growth rules of a living organism.
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