Posted on 06/22/2016 10:46:20 AM PDT by Theoria
The discovery that many genes are still working up to 48 hours after death has implications for organ transplants, forensics and our very definition of death
When a doctor declares a person dead, some of their body may still be alive and kicking – at least for a day or two. New evidence in animals suggests that many genes go on working for up to 48 hours after the lights have gone out.
This hustle and bustle has been seen in mice and zebrafish, but there are hints that genes are also active for some time in deceased humans. This discovery could have implications for the safety of organ transplants as well as help pathologists pinpoint a time of death more precisely, perhaps to within minutes of the event.
Peter Noble and Alex Pozhitkov at the University of Washington, Seattle, and their colleagues investigated the activity of genes in the organs of mice and zebrafish immediately after death. They did this by measuring the amount of messenger RNA present. An increase in this mRNA – which genes use to tell cells to make products such as proteins – indicates that genes are more active.
Noble’s team measured mRNA levels in zebrafish, and in brain and liver samples from mice at regular intervals for up to four days after death. They then compared these with mRNA levels measured at the time of death.
As you might expect, overall mRNA levels decreased over time. However, mRNA associated with 548 zebrafish genes and 515 mouse genes saw one or more peaks of activity after death. This meant there was sufficient energy and cellular function for some genes to be switched on and stay active long after the animal died.
(Excerpt) Read more at newscientist.com ...
“corpses burp and fart all the time”
On TV they walk. In the real world, they’re just The Farting Dead. Why does reality always have to be so bland compared to fiction? It’s seriously disillusioning.
“...probably pining for the fjords...”
Hair and nails keep growing.
Yes, thank you for posting this!
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