This organism is not living or dead but is in a 'third state'. Here's what it means

Scientists have discovered new multicellular life forms which emerge from the cells of a dead organism and stay in a "third state" which is beyond the states of life and death.

Generally, death is considered as the opposite state of life in an organism. However, procedures like organ donation emphasise how organs, tissues and cells continue functioning after the demise of the organism.

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Scientists in the past few years have demonstrated how the cells of organisms can be used in biological robots which represent the advancements in the field of synthetic biology.

What is the 'third state' of organisms?

In a new study, published in the journalPhysiology, researchers have discussed the possibility of using cells from organisms, either dead or alive and using them in machines with totally new functions.

This underlines a biological "third state" which is not part of the general categories of life and death.

"The third state challenges how scientists typically understand cell behaviour," said biologists Peter Noble and Alex Pozhitkov, co-authors of the review, inan essay forThe Conversation.

According to the researchers, biological robots or biobots are able to develop new functions which set them apart, because "there are few instances where organisms change in ways that are not predetermined".

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Some types of biobots last for just 60 days and safely biodegrade after they are dead. However, scientists have not been able to understand how these repurposed cells are able to survive after the death of their organism.

"We also don't know the extent of their ability to develop new functions postmortem," the researchers said.

"Taken together, these findings demonstrate the inherent plasticity of cellular systems and challenge the idea that cells and organisms can evolve only in predetermined ways," Noble and Pozhitkov stated.

"The third state suggests that organismal death may play a significant role in how life transforms over time," they added.

Meanwhile, anthrobots, which are created using the cells of a human patient, can be programmed to repair damaged ones,remove cancerous growths and deliver drugs.

"A better understanding of how some cells continue to function and metamorphose into multicellular entities some time after an organism's demise holds promise for advancing personalized and preventive medicine," the researchers stated.

(With inputs from agencies)