Is death the end?

Research uncovering a third state of living things, beyond life and death, is challenging scientists' fundamental understanding of cell behavior.

Traditionally, scientists have assumed that death is the irreversible cessation of an entire organism.

However, activities such as organ donation are prime examples of how organs, tissues, and cells can continue to function even after an organism has died.

A new study published in September 2024 by Professor of Microbiology Peter A Noble at the University of Alabama, USA, focused on understanding what happens in organisms after they die.

They discovered that when provided with oxygen, nutrients, bioelectricity, or biochemical signals, certain cells can transform into multicellular organisms with new functions after death.

This third state of living things, beyond life and death, is challenging scientists' basic understanding of cell behavior.

Tumors, cell clusters grown in 3D cultures, and cell microclones can divide indefinitely, but are not considered a third state because they do not develop new functions.

But in the study, skin cells taken from dead frog embryos were able to adapt to new living conditions, reorganizing themselves into multicellular organisms called xenobots . They had behaviors that went beyond the biological functions of the original organism.

Xenobots can move, heal themselves when injured and interact with the environment (Photo: TUFTS University).

Xenobots can also replicate kinematically, meaning they can copy their own structure and function without evolving. This is different from the replication process that occurs within the bodies of normal organisms.

Researchers have also discovered that single human lung cells have the ability to self-assemble into miniature, moving multicellular organisms, which they call anthrobots .

Anthrobots have a completely new structure and function. They can not only navigate their surroundings, but can also repair themselves and nearby damaged neurons.

The discovery of this novel third state not only expands our understanding of cellular adaptation but also opens up new therapeutic opportunities in medicine.