Is it possible to bring back the dead?

Question

I know that the brain is what really counts. But I was wondering, is it possible to revive a brain and its cells back to life. I mean, the brain is only tissue, its not like some magical thing that shuts off.

Wouldnt it be possible to turn it on if it shut off?

Answer 1

If one of us knew how to do this, we wouldn't be sitting here answering questions like this.

Lots of real research is going on about this.  If it become a success, it will be in the news.

Answer 2

That depends how long it has been dead for. A few seconds or even minutes is possible. Longer "death" have been recovered from in the case of people drowning in very cold water (the cold stopped the brain activity and prevented decay), I cannot find the reference, but I believe the record was half an hour being submerged, yet still making a full recovery.

Longer than that (and without the protection of the cold) there would be some brain damage. And eventually, damage that cannot be recovered from, i.e. death.

Answer 3

No, "its not like some magical thing"

Answer 4

You would have to slow the metabolic processes that occur, to prevent build-up of toxic anaerobic metabolic waste when the brain is deprived of oxygen. Extreme cold could do this, and people have been known to be revived after 15 or 20 minutes without oxygen at cold temperatures - after falling into thin ice while ice-fishing for example. But this is not an indefinite postponement of death, it is merely a short delay. For a long-term delay you would need to cool the tissues to extremely low temperatures. However, due to freezing of water and cellular components themselves, this is not possible. Freezing would permanently disrupt cellular structures and render them non-functional upon thawing.  

An alternative future possibility is a chemically induced stoppage of metabolism, but as far as I'm aware this has never been done.

Answer 5

ok 'mr. victor frankenstein'... NOOO. it's not possible.

Answer 6

Nope, unless you mean like CPR or something, but maybe someday scientists might find something, but not now.

once they're gone, they're gone.