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| Panel from Roman sarcophagus, c. 350, depicting victory wreath of Christ |
Seen here:
When a doctor declares a person dead, some of their body may still be alive and kicking – at least for a day or two. New evidence in animals suggests that many genes go on working for up to 48 hours after the lights have gone out. ... Hundreds of genes with different functions “woke up” immediately after death. These included fetal development genes that usually turn off after birth, as well as genes that have previously been associated with cancer. Their activity peaked about 24 hours after death. ... If genes can be active up to 48 hours after death, is the person technically still alive at that point?
