Real-life zombie animal could be the key to helping humans regrow lost body parts and heal massive wounds

The living dead may be lurking beneath the deep blue sea.Scientists have discovered an aquatic creature that they’re calling a “real-life zombie” — with tissue that can survive and function on its own for years after being severed from the original animal.The bizarre finding, researchers say, raises questions about what it really means to be “alive” and could have major implications for humans.In the study, a team of Canadian scientists focused on an animal called Psolus fabricii.Better known as the scarlet sea cucumber, this marine invertebrate inhabits the frigid waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic.Just as lizards can regrow tails and starfish can sprout new arms, sea cucumbers have impressive healing abilities, capable of replacing major body parts, including internal organs.“We’ve always known that sea cucumbers can regenerate remarkably well, but the assumption was that any detached tissue would simply die,” Sara Jobson, who led the research team, said in an interview with Memorial University’s Gazette.But a chance mishap in the lab would challenge that long-held belief.One day, a researcher was removing a Psolus fabricii from its tank when some of its tube feet — tiny appendages the animals use to move along the seafloor — broke off and stuck to the glass.Rather than dying, the detached pieces appeared to remain alive.Intrigued, the team decided to investigate further.Researchers removed additional sections from the animal’s tube feet, body and tentacles, then placed the fragments in flowing natural seawater.The water was teeming with microbes, where detached tissue would normally be expected to break down.But instead, the fragments began healing themselves.

Within days, their wounds had closed, while their cells continued dividing and reorganizing.The tissue also showed signs of immune activity and metabolic function — meaning it was still carrying out the basic processes needed to stay alive.Upon closer examination, the resea...