In extending health and life.. we can gain decades, but will die!

#1

I read this from Ancient website. I wish I had a better source… but it is intriguing. Particularly, the issue of cells desperate attempt to survive and make drastic changes. Can affect organs harvested for transplants. Read on.

The moment we stop breathing, life as we know it begins to unravel in a cascade of cellular shutdowns — but death is far from instantaneous.

The brain and nerve cells, demanding a constant supply of oxygen, perish within minutes after breathing ceases, marking the first irreversible step.

Next, the heart gives out, followed by vital organs like the liver, kidneys, and pancreas, which can endure for up to an hour without oxygen.

Remarkably, some parts of the body such as the skin, tendons, heart valves, and corneas can remain alive for a full day, while white blood cells can survive nearly three days postmortem.

Yet, the story does not end there. Scientists have uncovered a surprising phenomenon called the “twilight of death,” a phase in which cells continue to carry out gene transcription—the process of copying DNA into RNA—even hours or days after the body has been declared clinically dead. This molecular activity suggests that some cells enter a state of frantic survival, attempting to respond to their new reality despite the organism’s demise.

This ongoing genetic activity may not be merely benign; researchers have observed that organ transplant recipients face a heightened risk of cancer, a mystery that may be linked to this twilight gene expression. It appears that the cells left behind after death undergo chaotic DNA changes, a sort of biological panic that could trigger harmful mutations.

These findings not only deepen our understanding of the boundary between life and death but also raise important questions about how the lingering life of cells after death might influence the health outcomes of organ recipients.

In essence, death is a gradual process, a complex biological transition where some cells continue to fight against the inevitable, sometimes with unexpected consequences.

Any other thoughts and additional ideas.

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#2

There is probably a lot scientists can learn from these processes. I imagine a lot of the parts of the body that survive longer may be going through some kind of desperate attempt to resuscitate the rest of the body. Perhaps there are chemicals they are producing that if put into a healthy living creature could extend their life? Worth studying in mice.

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#3

I like your take on the cells fighting to survive… maybe that could change the whole course of dying.

Just like rapamycin causes proteins to think you’re starving… maybe a false death response can fix DNA… make body stronger.

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#4

Well said. I’d love to see more studies on this.

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#5

Thought the driver of this was that the patients are on large, aggressive immune suppression regimes, typically high dosages or more than one drug

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#6

That probably doesn’t help… just thought it was interesting to know your cells start doing strange things at death… then get placed in a living person. Sounds like an interesting movie idea.

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