Studying dead organisms for signs of activity during life may seem like a back story for The Walking Dead, but in reality the topic is bringing forth some interesting information. Peter Noble from the University of Washington in Seattle and a few of his colleagues have been looking into the activity of genes after the death of mice and zebrafish. There has been evidence of activity in mice 2 days postmortem, and 4 days in the zebrafish. Though this may seem a bit morbid, the findings are fascinating! Some of the genes that show activity are responsible for spurring inflammation, firing the immune system and counteracting stress. An interesting finding is the evidence of developmental genes turning on, even though they are not needed after birth.
Explanations for these genes turning on after death include that genes that were responsible for keeping them silent had turned off in death. Learning more about what happens after death could benefit a few different professions. This could assist in preserving organs for transplant during travel or could also help criminal investigators pinpoint a more accurate time of death.
“The headline of this study is that we can probably get a lot of information about life by studying death.” - Peter Noble
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/some-genes-remain-alive-days-after-body-dies-180959552/?no-ist
