That’s what scientists are saying about a new study that may well change the definition of dying. Researchers at Yale University used a system called OrganEx to restore blood circulation and activity in the heart, liver and kidney etc. in pigs a full hour after their deaths. But there was no coordinated brain activity that would indicate consciousness. Why this matters: it extends the window for harvesting organs for transplant—rather than reviving dying humans. But bioethicists say it also raises difficult questions about the definition of death—especially if the technique could one day restore brain activity.

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