Science & Technology

New study shows genes stay alive after death

By T.K. Randall
June 22, 2016

Image: DNA Methylation
Credit: Christoph Bock, Max Planck Institute for Informatics / CC BY-SA 3.0 (adapted) The discovery, which was made thanks to a new study at the University of Washington, indicates that certain genes continue to thrive long after someone has been declared clinically deceased.

The research involved comparing the mRNA levels in fish and mice both before and after death.

While the overall mRNA levels did decrease as expected, the scientists found that several hundred genes in each specimen showed unexpected spikes of activity two days after the animal had died.These genes appeared to be those involved in the body's physiological healing responses which might still have enough energy to kick-start certain processes that protect against damage.

The full implications of this discovery have yet to be understood but organ transplants, among other medical procedures, could potentially benefit from genes remaining active for so long.

The find could also lead to a more precise way of determining a person's exact time of death.

Source: Popular Science

Tags: Genes, Death