Scientists have created organisms in the laboratory that exist in a “third state” beyond life and death

What if scientists could take cells from living and dead organisms and turn them into entirely new organisms that transcend life and death? Although it may seem completely out of this world – something you'd expect to see in a science fiction novel – that's exactly what scientists have done, going so far as to create a “third state” of existence.

This pioneering achievement was highlighted in A New study Review published in the journal PhysiologyThe researchers presented the methods they used to achieve this. in article Published in ConversationBiologists Peter Noble and Alex Pozhitkov – co-authors of the new review – say this new “third case” will challenge how all scientists understand cell behavior.

But it is not only this new third case that transcends life and death that interests many. Look, it's been known for a long time that organisms change in ways we don't fully understand. As such, it is impressive that the biobots developed by these scientists have entirely new functions that set them apart from other living organisms.

Some organisms make unexpected changes, such as caterpillars that turn into butterflies. While these radical changes are part of a predetermined pathway for cells, biorobotics allow researchers to create something that does things beyond what it was originally designed and programmed to do, such as repairing damaged neurons in a nearby petri dish.

These kinds of radical movements are what make these organisms that transcend life and death so exciting – and so interesting to learn about. There's still a lot we don't know about them, and hopefully more research will help us determine how other organisms in that mysterious third state could be created.

But for now, we can at least look forward to seeing what these scientists do the next. These advances could help us develop other living robots, Such as biorobots and xenobots, which can accomplish tasks that scientists do not expect.