Scientists find a surprising "in-between" state of life and death
Scientists have discovered something wild: there might be a state between being alive and dead.
In a new study, cell clusters created from frog embryo cells taken from an organism that no longer functioned in its original form started moving around and even repairing themselves in the lab.
This shakes up what we thought we knew about life, death, and could change how we approach things like organ donation or regenerative medicine.
Meet the "xenobots"—cells that won't quit
These tiny cell blobs, called xenobots, were made from frog cells taken from an organism that no longer functioned in its original form.
Instead, they organized themselves into shapes that could move and heal damage—without any of the usual signs of life.
The discovery is raising big questions about how we define life (and death), and could open up new possibilities for medical treatments in the future.