A team of scientists from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has identified “zombie genes” that arise in the brains of people a few hours after their death. Then they begin to grow and grow to gigantic proportions, writes the Daily Mail.
It is noted that they are called glial cells. With the help of “long-armed” appendages, they grow long after a person's death. The peak of the changes caused by such cells, scientists noted at the 12th hour after death.
At the same time, they investigated found two other types of brain cells that become inactive after the death of a person. They occupy about 80 percent of all brain cells.
“Researchers need to consider these genetic and cellular changes and shorten the postmortem interval as much as possible to reduce the magnitude of these changes,” explained Dr. Jeffrey Loeb, professor at John Garvin University and head of neurology and rehabilitation at UIC College of Medicine.
In 2020, scientists at Virginia Polytechnic University discovered unusual genes in a group of giant viruses that are comparable in size to bacteria. These genes allow viruses to rearrange the metabolism of the host cell, turning it into a kind of “zombie”.
