A new theory is coming to change what is known about life and death. More specifically, American biologist researchers argue that studies show that there is a “third state” beyond life and death.
It is – according to their words – an important discovery, which could “redefine legal death”. A “third state of existence” in biology is considered one in which the cells of a dead organism continue to function after the death of the organism.
Transformation and adaptation
Professors Peter Noble from the University of Washington in Seattle and Alex Pozitkoff from City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California (“Unraveling the Enigma of Organismal Death: Insights, Implications, and Unexplored Frontiers“) investigated this ability of cells to exist in new forms after an organism dies.The study, published in the journal Physiology.
The researchers discovered that after the death of the organism its cells acquire new capabilities that they did not have when the organism was alive.
Specifically, after the death of the living being, some cells, when provided with nutrients, oxygen, bioelectricity or biochemical elements, have the ability to transform into multicellular organisms with new functions.
In 2021, researchers in the US found that skin cells from dead frogs were able to spontaneously adapt into multicellular organisms called “xenobots” or “self-assemble” into tiny multicellular organisms – the “humanbots” – that can move around in their environment , but also to repair themselves.
