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Updated: Jun 4, 2025

Perspectives on Neuroscience
Published on: July 31, 2007
Perspective on Death: A Gateway to a New Biology
Peter A Noble1, Alexander Pozhitkov2
1Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
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Organismal death has long been considered the irreversible ending of an organism's integrated functioning as a whole. However, the persistence of functionality in organs, tissues, and cells postmortem, as seen in organ donation, raises questions about the mechanisms underlying this resilience. Recent research reveals that various factors, such as environmental conditions, metabolic activity, and inherent survival mechanisms, influence postmortem cellular functionality and transformation. These findings challenge our understanding of life and death, highlighting the potential for certain cells to grow and form new multicellular entities. This opens new avenues in biology and medicine, expanding our comprehension of life's complexity.
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