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Smithsonian Magazine ·Future-gazing

Scientists Say They've Discovered 'Little Lab Zombies'—Seemingly Immortal Tissue Taken From Sea Cucumbers

Published 2026-06-02 19:56:38+00:00

If a severed body part survives on its own for years, is it actually alive?

0:00 / 5:49 · Narrator Sulafat

Context

A marine scientist tries to move a sea cucumber from a tank, and a few of its tiny feet stick to the glass. Usually, severed animal parts just rot. But as Smithsonian Magazine reported on 2 June 2026, these abandoned fragments did something else entirely. Three years later, they are still healing and growing, pulling nutrients directly from the seawater. The story looks at these accidental lab zombies to ask a very basic question. If a stray piece of tissue can survive indefinitely on its own, is it dead, or is it a new kind of alive?

Show notes

A report on sea cucumber tissue that survives and grows independently after being severed from the animal. Researchers observed amputated tube feet living in a seawater tank for over three years, showing signs of immune activity and cell division despite lacking a digestive system. The discovery challenges basic definitions of life and death, and offers a new method for developing laboratory cell lines.

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