Very "Six Feet Under"

Just read this article. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,15739502-13762,00.html

US scientists have created eerie zombie dogs, reanimating the canines after several hours of clinical death in attempts to develop suspended animation for humans.

Pittsburgh's Safar Centre for Resuscitation Research has developed technique in which subject's veins are drained of blood and filled ith an ice-cold salt solution. During the procedure blood is replaced with saline solution at a few degrees above zero. The dogs' body temperature drops to only 7C, compared with the usual 37C, inducing a state of hypothermia before death. The animals are considered scientifically dead, as they stop breathing and have no heartbeat or brain activity. Although the animals are clinically dead, their tissues and organs are perfectly preserved. Three hours later, the dogs are brought back to life by returning the blood to their bodies, giving them 100 per cent oxygen and applying electric shocks to restart their hearts. Tests show they are perfectlynormal, with no brain damage.

Plans to test the technique on humans should be realised within a year. However rather than sending people to sleep for years, then bringing them back to life to benefit from medical advances, the scientists would be happy to keep people in this state for just a few hours. But even this should be enough to save lives such as battlefield casualties and victims of stabbings or gunshot wounds, who have suffered huge blood loss.

I giggled hideously when I came across this article. Imagine the dog as the guinea pig of this test, being bolted back to life and all cranky because before then he was having a good time with Saint Peter upstairs. Hehehe. Naah, that's a bad joke. But really, this one made me laugh. For some odd reasons I have no idea. I wonder why.