By: Allen Zhu

A pig had been dead for over an hour when researchers from Yale University managed to revive it.

The researchers managed to inject essential fluids into the pig’s body and to its important organs like the heart and lungs. After many long minutes, the pig developed a steady heartbeat.

According to a Nature article, the researchers used an OrganEx system. The system allows healthy fluids to be injected into the pig’s body, just like how they would be during surgeries. Another group of pigs were placed on life support using the OrganEx system, but the system was incapable of keeping them alive.

“Under the microscope, it was difficult to tell the difference between a healthy organ and one which had been treated with OrganEx technology after death,” Zvonimir Vrselja, a neuroscientist at the Yale School of Medicine, said.

Occasionally, when the pigs were hooked up to the system, they flinched for a second.

“What research like this suggests is that death does not occur at a particular time,” said Nathan Emmerich, a bioethicist from Australian National University.

Sources: https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1659884423491x799152659102651000/Scientists%20revive%20cellular%20activities%20in%20pig%20organs%20an%20hour%20after%20death%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf