Death is a wave of chemical reactions?

According to this study it is.

news.discovery.com...=rssnws1

Scientists have managed to track the path of the 'death wave' (my words) which illustrate the component breakdown of cells which apparently leads to death. According to the article we do not die (as an organism) in an instant, what happens is - depending on the cause of death, our cellular structure begins transmitting necrosis from cell to cell in a wave like form.

This is easily monitored on certain types of worms, which have biological functions not too dissimilar to the biological functions of mammals.

“We’ve identified a chemical pathway of self-destruction that propagates cell death in worms, which we see as this glowing blue fluorescence traveling through the body. It’s like a blue grim reaper, tracking death as it spreads throughout the organism until all life is extinguished.”

the article continues

As a hypothetical, let’s say a worm or a person is stuck in the desert, suffering from severe dehydration. The stress and strain of that leads to cellular shock and damage, causing individual cells to die.The entire organism doesn’t just die in an instant. The individual cell deaths trigger a chemical reaction that leads to the breakdown of cell components and a build-up of molecular debris. If this goes on unchecked, the individual is toast.

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What does this mean then? What are your thoughts on the subject? I'd suggest reading the article for a clearer picture, but I think it is fascinating. It says we cannot prevent aging, but we can somehow prevent the (death wave) from spreading as a result of trauma.

reply to post by mr-lizard


Interesting.

This might insinuate that cell structure and biological harmony is what keeps us alive, rather than some mystical force that some might hope for.

everything can be defined as a chemical reaction from the universe to a simple thought .

doctors have observed beheadings where the victim has shown that the brain can survive for a time afterwards when told to close the eyes the head responded to the requests ?.

I just read an article on that today. Very interesting for sure. S&F. Doesn't it seem funny that with how long we have had the capability to check this out that we are only doing it now? I guess noone thought of checking it out.

Could these changes be why near death survivors experience an afterlife? I've seen a great many documentaries that say chemical changes during death cause a person to " hallucinate " images of a paradise or hell in their mind's eye.

I think more importantly, what others seem to be missing here, is what happens when you can stop the process or prevent it from starting in the first place? Does that mean you effectively become immortal? That is what I'm interested in sinking my teeth into. If that is true, at what point does death actually occur? When the last cell is sent the signal or the first one?

S&F

~Namaste

reply to post by SonOfTheLawOfOne


Stoping or preventing the process is one things. Aging is another entirely. When your bones can get so brittle if someone goes to give you a hug they break, would you even want to stay alive?

Originally posted by Isittruee
reply to post by SonOfTheLawOfOne

 

Stoping or preventing the process is one things. Aging is another entirely. When your bones can get so brittle if someone goes to give you a hug they break, would you even want to stay alive?

edit on 24-7-2013 by Isittruee because: (no reason given)

There are a few people who have lived happily into centennial age.

Life is a precious gift, and I personally will appreciate it until my very last breath, no matter how brittle or broken my body is.

~Namaste

reply to post by SonOfTheLawOfOne


I can respect your opinion on that. For me though I'm not sure if stoping/preventing the process should even be an issue before other problems are solved. When you look like a prune and bed bound because your so brittle is that even a life?

You are nothing but chemicals. Your body is a machine. There's no point to any of this. Everything can be explained through material-reductionism. Anything that can't does not exist. You are a random collection of atoms and nothing more.

...is the subtext of studies/articles like this. Scientists self-reinforcing the scientific paradigm to justify their own version of ecclesiastical (yeah, I said it--science is a religion) authority.

A dumb response, but do you think 'enlightenment' could be fabricated using this same theory?

If death is a cascade effect, couldn't enlightenment be the same?

[Edit] Maybe this is the essence of God mentioned in the books of old.

Originally posted by mr-lizard
According to this study it is.

news.discovery.com...=rssnws1

Scientists have managed to track the path of the 'death wave' (my words) which illustrate the component breakdown of cells which apparently leads to death. According to the article we do not die (as an organism) in an instant, what happens is - depending on the cause of death, our cellular structure begins transmitting necrosis from cell to cell in a wave like form.

This is easily monitored on certain types of worms, which have biological functions not too dissimilar to the biological functions of mammals.

“We’ve identified a chemical pathway of self-destruction that propagates cell death in worms, which we see as this glowing blue fluorescence traveling through the body. It’s like a blue grim reaper, tracking death as it spreads throughout the organism until all life is extinguished.”

the article continues

As a hypothetical, let’s say a worm or a person is stuck in the desert, suffering from severe dehydration. The stress and strain of that leads to cellular shock and damage, causing individual cells to die.The entire organism doesn’t just die in an instant. The individual cell deaths trigger a chemical reaction that leads to the breakdown of cell components and a build-up of molecular debris. If this goes on unchecked, the individual is toast.

---

What does this mean then? What are your thoughts on the subject? I'd suggest reading the article for a clearer picture, but I think it is fascinating. It says we cannot prevent aging, but we can somehow prevent the (death wave) from spreading as a result of trauma.

i can actually do this myself with will. willfully induced necrosis of a part of the body. it feels like a wave. this is the feeling of the mystical water. Death. a diety. etc. probably too heavy for u guys to soak in. but ill leave this here. could prove it in a lab with doctors and the necessary equipment. meditation brings many great gifts.

reply to post by filledcup

i can actually do this myself with will. willfully induced necrosis of a part of the body. it feels like a wave. this is the feeling of the mystical water. Death. a diety. etc. probably too heavy for u guys to soak in. but ill leave this here. could prove it in a lab with doctors and the necessary equipment. meditation brings many great gifst

Anyone can do it if they don't take care of themselves. Gangrene for instance. Some gift.

Originally posted by LesMisanthrope
reply to post by filledcup

 

i can actually do this myself with will. willfully induced necrosis of a part of the body. it feels like a wave. this is the feeling of the mystical water. Death. a diety. etc. probably too heavy for u guys to soak in. but ill leave this here. could prove it in a lab with doctors and the necessary equipment. meditation brings many great gifst

Anyone can do it if they don't take care of themselves. Gangrene for instance. Some gift.

except when used for genetic reconstruction on a living being

reply to post by filledcup

except when used for genetic reconstruction on a living being

Genetic reconstruction is basically a paternity or maternity test. If you can do that, good on you.

Originally posted by LesMisanthrope
reply to post by filledcup

 

except when used for genetic reconstruction on a living being

Genetic reconstruction is basically a paternity or maternity test. If you can do that, good on you.

not sure i follow u in the cynicism. but what im saying is that inducing necrosis on cells acts as a precursor to the spirit operating on the structure of the cells. corrupted cells etc can be corrected. much like a local anaesthetic can be used before operating on a part of the body. necrosis feels like a wave which makes the area numb to all pain. not even the tendons etc in the area work. the area sort of disconnected from the brain receptors, and in that state can be operated on. this is what the kundalini is fabled to do in mystical doctrines. and i am seeing it live! a concentrated form of necrosis forms branches of concentration which spread much like the roots of a tree in the flesh tissue.

reply to post by mr-lizard


That's a bold hypothesis. Unfortunately, "stopping a death wave" seems no more plausible to prevent than finding a particular gene to prevent the aging process.

reply to post by LesMisanthrope


This isn't really that great a discovery. We already know that what happens in one cell causes changes in another cell i.e. the development process from a single zygote to an organism with 50 trillion cells is such a process.

This still doesn't really say anything about the presence or non-presence of a non-physical cause to this process.

Basically, this question - like all questions relating to a "life force" -boils down to the consciousness question. If we can't figure out what consciousness is, than we can no more postulate that there isn't a "life force" or energy, that permeates our physical organism and exists as an essential "wave" or "field" of vibrational activity.

Keep in mind that quantum physics basically tells us that what we see as physical form is really quarks bouncing back and forth, electrons, neutrons and protons revolving within an atom, etc. We ALREADY posit the existence of a basic energy that cannot be extirpated.

Not all philosophers are satisfied with the physical reductivism that dominates contemporary science. An equally plausible scenario would be what Thomas Nagel calls "monistic reductivism", where consciousness and matter make up two sides of the natural process. The "reductivist" part postulates that the consciousness experienced by organisms is made up of "particles" of consciousness, which exist at some sub-atomic level. Just as the conglomeration of cells build up to create a physical organism; a conglomeration of "mental particles" corresponding with the physical structure provides a type of consciousness; thus, the insect, bird, dog, all have varying physiologies which support a "mental" existence which corresponds to its unique brain composition. Humans are the only known creatures with genuine cognition and an ability to evalutate.

Originally posted by Astrocyte
reply to post by mr-lizard

 

That's a bold hypothesis. Unfortunately, "stopping a death wave" seems no more plausible to prevent than finding a particular gene to prevent the aging process.

I don't think we should be looking to stop the death wave or trying to prevent the ageing process. It is all part of the natural process. Birth and death are completely naturally occurring events. We shouldn't be looking to get one up over the universe.

When a person dies the body goes through the process. I have only seen this in the end stages of cancer, I don't know how this happens in trauma, there may be more than one process.

As the person is moving closer towards death. There may be a surge of energy as they get nearer. They may want to get out of bed and talk to loved ones, or ask for food after days of no appetite. This surge of energy may be quite a bit less noticeable but is usually used as a dying person's final physical expression before moving on. The surge of energy is usually short, and the previous signs become more pronounced as death approaches.

This happened with my mom it was almost like she was getting better, but we knew she wasn't she wanted some hot chocolate and had not eaten or drunk much of anything for days. This was about 12 hours before her death. Later that evening she was unresponsive to us and seemed to be preoccupied with a space near the ceiling and was talking like someone was there. She then settled down and was on to the next stage.

Breathing becomes more irregular and often slower. "Cheyne-Stokes" breathing, rapid breathes followed by periods of no breathing at all, may occur. Congestion in the airway can increase causing loud, rattled breathing. Hands and feet may become blotchy and purplish (mottled). This mottling may slowly work its way up the arms and legs. Lips and nail beds are bluish or purple.

As this was happening we thought mom was only hours away from passing when all of a sudden around 11pm she sat upright and was pointing towards the ceiling and moaning, The mottling disappeared as did the Cheyne-Stokes as she cleared her throat when she sat up I think the morphine must have stopped working.

The person usually becomes unresponsive and may have their eyes open or semi-open but not seeing their surroundings. It is widely believed that hearing is the last sense to go so it is recommended that loved ones sit with and talk to the dying during this time.

Eventually, breathing will cease altogether and the heart stops. Death has occurred.

She was given more morphine and she died around 4am. So in my opinion she did stop the dying process albeit for a very short time. So I wonder if this is what you are referring to? I was witness to this event and although mom delayed death, it could not be stopped. Sometimes the body takes over where the mind ceases control.