Pig brains revived four hours after death

[Still Waters]

"Frankenstein" scientists in the US have managed to partially revive pig brains four hours after the animals were slaughtered.

The re-vitalised organs were said to be "cellularly active" - although there was no evidence that suggested awareness or consciousness.

Experts say it raises some "fascinating questions" about the potential to discover new treatments for brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's and could lead to debate about the definition of death.

https://news.sky.com/story/frankenstein-scientists-partially-revive-pig-brains-four-hours-after-death-11696594

[bison]

The discovery that dead animal tissues, such as muscles and nerves, can be stimulated to actions somewhat resembling those of living animals is credited to Luigi Galvani. In 1780 he caused a dead frog's legs to move in the characteristic jumping motion, in response to the touch of metal objects.  

Alessandro Volta confirmed the phenomenon, and refined the understanding of it. He constructed the first electrical battery, and applied its current to a dead frog's legs, causing them to jump in a similar fashion. This was the very beginning of our understanding of how electricity operates the nervous system. 

 Something resembling brain function in a live pig can be induced chemically, after death? This does not seem too surprising, given the historical scientific context.      

Edited April 18, 2019 by bison

[Conrad Clough]

Do you want to start a zombie aPORKalypse? because this is is the road to take to get there.

[mdbuilder]

Porkenstein lives!

[highdesert50]

Interesting in that dying might be a rather protracted process depending upon how one defines awareness or even life itself. Does cognition, the process of knowing, recognize its own death?

[Duke Wellington]

On ‎18‎/‎04‎/‎2019 at 1:47 PM, Still Waters said:

"Frankenstein" scientists in the US have managed to partially revive pig brains four hours after the animals were slaughtered.

The re-vitalised organs were said to be "cellularly active" - although there was no evidence that suggested awareness or consciousness.

Experts say it raises some "fascinating questions" about the potential to discover new treatments for brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's and could lead to debate about the definition of death.

https://news.sky.com/story/frankenstein-scientists-partially-revive-pig-brains-four-hours-after-death-11696594

When we go up a mountain we have hypoxia genes which activate to allow our bodies to cope with the lower oxygen levels. With slightly reduced oxygen we burn extra fat to release oxygen atoms which leads to the rapid weight loss mountain holidays cause.

But with acute oxygen deprivation the hypoxia gene HIF-1 tells our cells to suicide. It is the bodies way of ensuring survival by reducing the oxygen needs of the body by killing off cells. When a persons circulation system stops (when they die) its the same gene that actually kills off our cells (including our brain cells).

Cell death, and brain death, is a hypoxia response. Its just a chemistry problem and drugs will come to reverse the activation of the HIF-1 gene. It will mean we will revive people up until the point where their brains are heavily decomposed. We wont bother beyond that as we wont get the same person back (they will be missing their memories and have a different personality).

Some chemicals are already known to have an effect such as the colouring that makes Smarties blue.

Edited April 20, 2019 by RabidMongoose