A thought-provoking study from scientists in the USA has suggested a "third state" that exists after life and death. This somewhat mind-blowing concept posits a phenomenon in which the cells in the organs of a deceased body adopt new functions after the body dies. Biologist Peter Nobel and bioinformatics researcher Alex Pozhitkov explained how cells transform after their host organism dies. The scientists wrote: "These findings demonstrate the inherent plasticity of cellular systems and challenge the idea that cells and organisms can evolve only in predetermined ways." They added: "The third state suggests that organismal death may play a significant role in how life transforms over time."

The scientists suggested the existence of two kinds of "biobot" that are integral in the mechanics of the third state. Wiktionary.org defines a biobot as: "A robot that is partly or wholly biological in nature, as for example…plant cells or animal cells that can perform tasks such as moving and reacting." The researchers termed one biobot as a "xenobot". This reorganizes cells into a new multi-cellular organism. Other biobots are "anthrobots". These are capable of self-assembling cells and moving around. The scientists said xenobots exist "beyond the traditional boundaries of life and death". They added the bots offer "prospects for new treatments" and personalized and preventive medicine.