es.euronews.com
Life, Death, and a Third State: Cells Functioning After Death
Scientists discover a "third state" beyond life and death where cells can function and even self-replicate after an organism's death, challenging traditional biological understanding.
Spanish
United States
HealthDeathResearchBiologyLifeCells
University Of Alabama At BirminghamEarl And Manella School Of Biological Sciences
Peter NobleAlex Puzhitkov
- How long can cells survive after death?
- The survival time of cells after death varies depending on factors such as cell type, environmental conditions, and metabolic activity. While some cells degrade rapidly, others, like mouse skeletal muscle cells, can regenerate for up to 14 days after death.
- What is the "third state" proposed by the study?
- A new study suggests a "third state" beyond life and death, where cells continue functioning after the organism's death. This is evidenced by the creation of xenobots from dead frog cells, which exhibit unexpected behaviors like self-replication.
- What factors influence cell survival after death?
- Researchers observed increased activity in genes related to stress and immunity after death, suggesting that innate survival mechanisms play a significant role in postmortem cell function. Factors like trauma, infection and time since death also influence cell survival.
- What are xenobots and what are their capabilities?
- Xenobots, multicellular structures formed from dead frog cells, demonstrate surprising capabilities. They move using cilia, a function different from their original purpose in living frogs, and can even self-replicate.
- Besides xenobots, what other example of post-mortem cell activity is mentioned?
- Human lung cells have also shown the ability to spontaneously form multicellular organisms (anthrobots) after death. These structures display self-repair capabilities and novel behaviors, defying traditional understanding of cell function after death.