A crippling and life-threatening disease
In a groundbreaking discovery that challenges our understanding of life and death, scientists have uncovered a mysterious "third state" of existence. This intermediate phase, where cells from deceased organisms continue to function and even evolve, opens up new possibilities in biology and medicine.
Could the third state hold the key to extending human lifespan or even achieving immortality? While this may seem like science fiction, the implications of this discovery are profound. Click through and find out.
Stories like 'Frankenstein' explore the idea of reviving the dead. While this might seem like science fiction, recent studies suggest a "third state" of existence may be a reality in modern biology.
If further experiments on cells from dead animals, including humans, confirm this ability, our concept of legal death could be redefined.
Researchers from the University of Washington and City of Hope National Medical Center revealed in a new study in the journal Physiology that a "third state" occurs when cells from a deceased organism continue to function after its death.
According to the study, the cells sometimes even gained new capabilities they never had while the organism was alive.
This happens when certain cells—when given nutrients, oxygen, bioelectricity, or biochemical signals—reorganize and transform into new multicellular organisms.
In 2021, US scientists discovered that skin cells from dead frogs could form multicellular organisms, or "xenobots," in a lab environment.
These xenobots, using hair-like structures called cilia, moved and behaved in ways that surpassed their original biological purpose.
They also proved to be able to collect materials, record information, self-heal, and replicate to a limited extent.
In a 2023 study published in Advanced Science, researchers also discovered that human lung cells could self-organize into tiny multicellular organisms called "anthrobots."
Anthrobots, ranging in size from a human hair to a pencil tip, self-assemble and demonstrate they can heal other cells.
The ability of anthrobots to move, self-repair, and heal nerve cells, surpassing xenobots, holds promise for future medical applications.
But what exactly allows cells to function in the third state after an organism dies?
Following a Frankenstein-like hypothesis, researchers suggest that a hidden system of electrical circuits might reanimate cells.
These circuits seem to pump electrical signals that allow cells to communicate, grow, move, and form new organisms.
Several factors, including temperature and energy availability, determine whether cells can enter the third state.
Access to "fuel," whether from the hidden electrical system or artificial lab sources, and the cells' ability to metabolize it are crucial for post-mortem survival and function.
Age, health, sex, and species type also influence a cell's ability to enter the third state.
For researchers, the results are promising as they consider the research a significant step toward bringing animal cells, and a wider range of human cells, into this third state.
This discovery not only reveals the incredible adaptability of cells but also promises innovative medical treatments.
For example: using a person's own living tissue, specialists could create anthrobots that would deliver medication to damaged cells without triggering an immune response.
These engineered anthrobots could dissolve arterial plaque in atherosclerosis patients.
Another use case would be to clear excess mucus in patients with cystic fibrosis, a severe inherited disorder affecting the lungs, digestive system, and other organs.
Researchers argue that anthrobots are biodegradable and safe, with a limited lifespan and lab-bound existence.
This would eliminate concerns of external exposure or uncontrolled proliferation.
However, using elements of deceased organisms to create new life remains controversial. This theme, with its potentially catastrophic consequences, has been explored in numerous pop culture references, such as the 1985 movie 'Re-Animator.'
In the '80s cult film, a medical student discovers how to re-animate dead tissue, leading to a series of horrifying events as the reanimated corpses exhibit a frenetic, zombie-like state.
Sci-fi exaggerations aside, researchers believe the third state holds great promise. "This research has the potential to transform regenerative medicine, redefine legal death, and provide insights into life's physiological limits (...)”, they concluded.
The anthrobots study authors hope to observe similar "healing" behavior in human neurodegenerative diseases. They suggest potential applications like repairing damaged retinas or spinal cords, though these remain speculative.
Sources: (Earth.com) (Daily Mail) (Scientific American)
See also: Weird things that happen to your body when you die
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In a groundbreaking discovery that challenges our understanding of life and death, scientists have uncovered a mysterious "third state" of existence. This intermediate phase, where cells from deceased organisms continue to function and even evolve, opens up new possibilities in biology and medicine.
Could the third state hold the key to extending human lifespan or even achieving immortality? While this may seem like science fiction, the implications of this discovery are profound. Click through and find out.