Bringing Dogs Back from the Dead

In an experiment that recalls the Stephen King horror story Pet Semetary, scientists at the Pittsburgh-based Safar Center for Resuscitation Research have successfully brought dogs back to life that had been clinically dead for three hours.

In the procedure, blood was drained from the body and replaced with an ice-cold saline solution. The dogs were then revived with an electric shock. Upon examination, the resurrected dogs appeared to be perfectly healthy.

The caveat here (and in these cases, there is always a caveat) is that the bodies were in perfect condition before the procedure; no trauma, no disease and no decomposition. Even if the procedure were perfected to the point where it could be used on humans -- and the Safar Center hopes to begin human trials in the near future -- it could only be used in specific situations.

While the project remains in its early stages, some who have followed it believe that it could become a life-saving tool in as little as 10 years.

Sources: News.com.au, Minding the Planet