Life and death have long been understood as opposites. Death traditionally marks the irreversible cessation of an organism’s vital functions. However, groundbreaking research reveals a “third state,” in which cells from dead organisms can reorganize into new, functioning life forms. This discovery challenges our conventional understanding of death as a definitive end, suggesting that biological processes can persist and even transform after an organism dies.For example, frog embryo skin cells, placed in controlled lab conditions, have been observed to spontaneously reorganize into multicellular organisms called xenobots.
These xenobots exhibit behaviors far beyond their original biological roles. In living frog embryos, cilia (tiny, hair-like structures) are used to move mucus, but in xenobots, these same cilia allow the organisms to navigate their environment. Even more strikingly, xenobots can perform kinematic self-replication, physically assembling copies of themselves without growing—something unheard of in typical cellular replication.
Beyond xenobots, solitary human lung cells have demonstrated similar transformative abilities. In the lab, these cells self-assemble into miniature multicellular organisms, or “anthrobots.” Not only can these anthrobots move around their environment, but they can also perform tasks like repairing injured neuron cells placed nearby. This plasticity reveals that even after an organism’s death, its cellular components can adapt and evolve in ways that suggest life is more dynamic than previously thought.
These findings highlight the remarkable resilience and adaptability of cellular systems, challenging the notion that life evolves in strictly predetermined ways. The third state points to a new frontier in biology, where death may not be the end, but rather a starting point for new forms of life. As this research progresses, it forces us to reconsider the boundaries of life and death, and the potential for biological transformation beyond what we currently understand.