The genes of humans can retain their activity even after the death. Such a conclusion was made by a group of scientists from the United States, Germany, and Croatia.

According to bioRxiv, the researchers took tissue samples from deceased animals to study what happens after their death. It appeared that genes remain their activity for a few days, although, their activity is  generally lower than it is in living organisms.

Izvestia reports that the survey found out a set of posthumous genes’ activities called tanatotranskriptom . According to the recent data , tanatotranskriptom is a product of the activity of 1063 genes. They can maintain their viability after the death of a living organism for at least two days , whereas the activity of certain genes are retained for three days . According to the authors of the study, the discovery will allow to make transplantation of organs more effective and safe.