"Not all cells are 'dead' when an organism or the body dies," senior author Peter Noble of the University of Washington and Alabama State University told Seeker. "Different cell types have different life spans, generation times and pliability to extreme stress." "It is likely that some cells remain alive and are trying to repair themselves, specifically stem cells," Noble said.
Signs Of Cellular Life
Interestingly, gene transcription linked to embryonic development also increased. It's as though parts of the body in essence go back in time, exhibiting cellular features of very early human development.
The Twilight Of Death
"Death is a time-dependent process," Noble remarked. "We have bordered our discussion of death about 'postmortem time' because on the one hand, there is no reason to be suspicious that minutes after an animal dies, gene transcription will brusquely stop."
"On the other hand," he added, "we know that within hours to days, the animal's body will eventually decompose by natural processes and gene transcription will end." The authors referred to the window of time between "death and the start of decomposition as the 'twilight of death' - when gene expression occurs, but not all of the cells are dead yet."
For years of research, they have noted that recipients of donor organs, such as livers, often exhibit risk of cancer following a transplant. It is also indicating there could be a link between "twilight of death" gene transcription and increased cancer risk.
"It might be valuable to pre-screen transplant organs before it increased cancer gene transcripts," Noble said, which might offer insight on the health of the organ, though more research is badly needed. Perhaps some cells have different life time table, but there could be another enlightenment that has not yet been considered.
Putting Death On Hold
Malhotra hopes that the trials of Noble, Pozhitkov and their team could be frequent with more sampling test - it may die eventually going beyond 48 hours - to better recognize the identified transcriptional changing aspects. Since the new study is the first comprehensive investigation to evaluate changes in genetic transcription after organismal death, many questions remain unanswered.
Malhotra even raised up the big question of the presumed dead body. He wonders now if it might be possible to "put a hold on death" if the molecular possesses underlying cellular death control could be further determined and if scientists could develop scientific ways to "interrupt body shutdown."
Arne Traulsen of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology also voiced excitement over future death-related research. "I think this could be the start of a much more comprehensive analytic approach on how processes are being shut down after death," Traulsen explained to Seeker.
"Spiritualy, death is probably more likely turning a computer off or much less like turning lights off," he added, stating somewhat computer-like systematic shutdown and minutiae involved. "We will see the significances of this at some point, but I would not be surprised of this research and it may provide an entirely new understanding on the function of complex biological systems."
