Dead Pigs Hearts Brought Back To Life In Groundbreaking Experiment

They found that this slowed down decomposition of the dead tissue to the point that the heart began contracting again, while there was also activity detected in the liver and kidneys.

Yale University neuroscientist Zvonimir Vrselja, who participated in the experiment, said: "We made cells do something they weren’t able to do. We’re not saying it’s clinically relevant, but it’s moving in the right direction."

This could have a groundbreaking impact on medicine if it works on human organs too, as it could help preserve them for transplants or even keep people alive long enough for a medical emergency to be treated.

However, it poses all sorts of difficult ethical questions around blurring the lines on death, which could have an impact on people who require life support.

He warned that finding more ways to technically keep a body alive without being able to revive them would pose difficult questions for doctors.

Back in 2019 the same team of scientists managed to revive pigs brains four hours after death, though the experiment didn't restore consciousness.

Researchers suggested that a jolt of electricity to the brain might have been needed to get it up and running properly again, but actually restoring consciousness to a dead brain is something else entirely.

However, anyone thinking these experiments are a ticket to coming back from the dead should be aware that it's nowhere near ready for human testing, particularly since the brain would have to be outside the body to be hooked up to the device.

They might one day be able to bring your brain back from the dead but that won't do you much good if it's been scooped out of your skull.