WEBVTT - S04 Episode 8 Extra: Mostly Dead is Slightly Alive

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Unexplained Extra with me Richard McClane Smith, where

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<v Speaker 1>for the weeks in between episodes, we look at stories

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<v Speaker 1>and ideas that, for one reason another didn't make it

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<v Speaker 1>into the previous show. In last week's episode, Death's Pale Flag,

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<v Speaker 1>we explored the Haitian zombie myth through the seemingly miraculous

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<v Speaker 1>story of Clavius Narcis. In nineteen sixty four, Clavius was

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<v Speaker 1>declared dead by two separate doctors and subsequently buried underground,

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<v Speaker 1>only to reappear in his home village eighteen years later

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<v Speaker 1>very much alive. Some, thanks to the prevalence of the

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<v Speaker 1>zombie myth in Haitian folklore, were convinced that Clavius had

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<v Speaker 1>himself returned from death as a zombie. In nineteen eighty two,

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<v Speaker 1>ethnobotanist Weighed Dave traveled to Haiti to investigate Clerviius's story.

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<v Speaker 1>As it turned out, according to Davis, Clerviius was just

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<v Speaker 1>one of many individuals who would have fallen victim to

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<v Speaker 1>an apparent zombification process being carried out by voodoo priests

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<v Speaker 1>in return for money. After analyzing a powder thought to

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<v Speaker 1>have been used in this process, Wade found it to

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<v Speaker 1>contain traces of tetrodotoxin, a potent neurotoxin extracted from pufferfish.

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<v Speaker 1>Although even a small dose of tetrodotoxin is lethal to humans,

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<v Speaker 1>with just the right amount, its effects, including severe paralysis

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<v Speaker 1>and the slowing of the body's metabolic rate, can lead

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<v Speaker 1>the recipient appearing clinically dead before they eventually recover from it.

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<v Speaker 1>Could this thought Wade account for Clerviius's apparent resurrection, regardless

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<v Speaker 1>of what exactly had happened. That Clerviius could ever have

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<v Speaker 1>been declared dead in the first place raises a deeply

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<v Speaker 1>un settling question. Just how exactly do we determine whether

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<v Speaker 1>somebody has well and truly died. It may be surprising

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<v Speaker 1>to discover that it isn't by any stretch an exact science.

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<v Speaker 1>In years gone by, the death of a human individual

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<v Speaker 1>was believed to have occurred simply when breathing had stopped

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<v Speaker 1>or the heart was no longer beating. More recently, we

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<v Speaker 1>have come to understand that absolute death comes only when

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<v Speaker 1>the brain has irreversibly ceased to function. However, it wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>until nineteen sixty eight that a definition of brain death

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<v Speaker 1>previously referred to as irreversible coma, was first formalized according

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<v Speaker 1>to the Harvard Medical School Committee that to find it.

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<v Speaker 1>The process for confirming brain death is fourfold. First, the

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<v Speaker 1>body's responsiveness is taken into consideration, whether even the most

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<v Speaker 1>painful stimuli failed to elicit a reaction. Next, the body

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<v Speaker 1>is monitored for signs of spontaneous movement and breathing. Does

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<v Speaker 1>it require a ventilator to remain alive, for example. Thirdly,

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<v Speaker 1>the body's reflexes will be assessed, most commonly by examining

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<v Speaker 1>whether pupils respond to light or whether they are fixed

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<v Speaker 1>and dilated. Finally, having taken all of that into account,

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<v Speaker 1>an electroencephalogram or EEG should be used to test for

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<v Speaker 1>any sign of brain activity. Only after all the correct

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<v Speaker 1>criteria have been met could an individual be determined to

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<v Speaker 1>have well and truly died. Although this definition has been

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<v Speaker 1>refined somewhat since nineteen sixty eight, with today's modern fMRI

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<v Speaker 1>scanners a far more sophisticated way to measure brain activity,

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<v Speaker 1>the basic process for determining the death of an individual

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<v Speaker 1>remains more or less the same. And yet, just as

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<v Speaker 1>we used to think that a stopped heart or final

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<v Speaker 1>breath was evidence of death. Might it also be the

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<v Speaker 1>case that the criteria for supposed brain death could also

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<v Speaker 1>one day prove to be an inadequate measure of a

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<v Speaker 1>complete demise. Perhaps, just like in the days before we

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<v Speaker 1>were able to measure brain activity, there might yet be

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<v Speaker 1>some future more sophisticated technology to reveal the horrifying truth

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<v Speaker 1>that brain death is in fact not a permanent, irreversible state.

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<v Speaker 1>Could what appears to be a dead brain in fact

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<v Speaker 1>still remain one with the potential to regain consciousness? Are

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<v Speaker 1>you always taking care of your family? Do you often

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<v Speaker 1>take care of others and not yourself? Now it's time

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<v Speaker 1>to take care of yourself, to make time for you

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<v Speaker 1>you deserve it. Tell a DOC gives you access to

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<v Speaker 1>a licensed therapist to help you get back to feeling

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<v Speaker 1>your best, to feeling like yourself again. With TELEDOC, you

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<v Speaker 1>can speak to a licensed therapist by phone or video.

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<v Speaker 1>Therapy appointments are available seven days a week from seven

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<v Speaker 1>am to nine pm local time. If you feel overwhelmed

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes maybe you feel stressed or anxious, depressed or lonely,

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<v Speaker 1>or you might be struggling with a personal or family

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<v Speaker 1>issue teledoc can help. Teledoc is committed to facilitating great

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<v Speaker 1>therapeutic matches, so they make it easy to change counselors

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<v Speaker 1>if needed. For free teledoc therapy is available through most

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<v Speaker 1>insurance or employers. Download the app or visit teledoc dot

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<v Speaker 1>com forward slash Unexplained podcast today to get started. That's

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<v Speaker 1>teladoc dot com slash Unexplained podcast. In early twenty nineteen,

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<v Speaker 1>a team of neuroscientists from Yale School of Medicine, led

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<v Speaker 1>by its Vonomere vi Celia and Stefano Danielli, published a

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<v Speaker 1>remarkable paper in Nature which, although not providing proof by

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<v Speaker 1>any stretch that an individual might recover consciousness from a

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<v Speaker 1>supposed brain death, has nonetheless reignited the debate over just

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<v Speaker 1>what is or isn't irreversible. It is well understood that

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<v Speaker 1>reducing oxygen and blood flow to the brain can have

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<v Speaker 1>rapid and devastating consequences. Just a few seconds without oxygen

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<v Speaker 1>will result in a loss of consciousness. After five minutes

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<v Speaker 1>a dino scene, triphosphate or atyp the body's primary source

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<v Speaker 1>of cellular energy, will run out. If perfusion, the flow

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<v Speaker 1>of blood and oxygen is not restored, a progressive and

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<v Speaker 1>largely irreversible spiral of mechanical failure ensues from the build

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<v Speaker 1>up of carbon dioxide to the emergence of enzymes that

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<v Speaker 1>begin to break down the nerve tissue, which will lead

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<v Speaker 1>inevitably to the death of the brain. Although in the past,

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<v Speaker 1>individual cells taken from brains long after death have been

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<v Speaker 1>shown to continue to function, performing processes such as making proteins.

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<v Speaker 1>What Vesselia and Danielli's team wanted to know was could

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<v Speaker 1>a whole brain be revived a number of hours after death.

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<v Speaker 1>To test this out, researchers collected thirty two severed heads

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<v Speaker 1>of pigs that had been slaughtered in an abatoir close

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<v Speaker 1>to the team's laboratory. The brains, having been removed from

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<v Speaker 1>the skulls, were then placed in a chamber and fitted

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<v Speaker 1>with catheters. After waiting four hours from the moment of decapitation,

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<v Speaker 1>each brain was given an EEG to confirm a flat

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<v Speaker 1>line of brain activity before a warm substance containing nutrients

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<v Speaker 1>and oxygen was slowly pumped into them. The system, known

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<v Speaker 1>as brain X, developed especially for the experiment, is essentially

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<v Speaker 1>a brain specific dialysis machine designed to mimic the original

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<v Speaker 1>host's blood flow. Although they didn't expect the brains to

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<v Speaker 1>regain consciousness, the team used a chemical agent in the

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<v Speaker 1>solution to reduce the possibility of this happening. With the

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<v Speaker 1>solution cycling through the brains, all the scientists had to

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<v Speaker 1>do next was stand back and wait. After six hours

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<v Speaker 1>of tests, the results were startling. As an experiment to

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<v Speaker 1>test the efficacy of the brain X system, things could

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<v Speaker 1>not have gone better, as almost complete circulation was restored

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<v Speaker 1>to the brains. Blood vessels remained in such good shape

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<v Speaker 1>throughout the experiment that they continued to function in the

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<v Speaker 1>manner of a living brain. The system also succeeded in

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<v Speaker 1>preserving the global structure of the brain. Tissue areas that

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<v Speaker 1>are particularly susceptible to a lack of oxygen include the hippocampus,

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<v Speaker 1>which plays a vital role in the consolidation of memories,

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<v Speaker 1>were also well preserved. Comparing the solution as it flowed

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<v Speaker 1>to and from the brains. Research has also discovered signs

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<v Speaker 1>of metabolic activity as individual cells began to function again,

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<v Speaker 1>generating carbon dioxide while absorbing glucose and oxygen. But most

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<v Speaker 1>striking of all, when small slices of tissue were tested

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<v Speaker 1>after treatment, the team discovered that at least some neurons

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<v Speaker 1>remained capable of neural activity, a process thought fundamental for

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<v Speaker 1>generating consciousness. As the team from Yale were keen to stress,

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<v Speaker 1>their findings did not signify a resurgence of normal brain function. However,

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<v Speaker 1>as others, including science journalist Sarah Reardon and the brain

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<v Speaker 1>X team themselves have pointed out, since significant measures were

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<v Speaker 1>taken to prevent this from happening, there is no knowing

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<v Speaker 1>as yet what might have occurred under different circumstances, and

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<v Speaker 1>even if the brain EX system was not enough to

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<v Speaker 1>resurrect a consciousness from a dead brain, it would not

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<v Speaker 1>be the end of the road for such a pursuit.

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<v Speaker 1>It may be the case that some additional, as yet

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<v Speaker 1>unknown action might be needed to kick start this into life.

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<v Speaker 1>After all, only in nineteen forty seven, thanks to the

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<v Speaker 1>Maverick instincts of cardiac surgeon Claude Beck, was it confirmed

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<v Speaker 1>that an electrical shock could restart a human heart. Certainly,

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<v Speaker 1>it remains to be seen if an individual's sense of

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<v Speaker 1>consciousness could be restored after their brain has been declared

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<v Speaker 1>clinically dead by today's standards. However, if history is anything

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<v Speaker 1>to go by, that we haven't discovered yet how this

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<v Speaker 1>might be achieved is no indication that it cannot be done,

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<v Speaker 1>And with this comes some unsettling ideas just how much

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<v Speaker 1>of a brain is required, or more specifically, how many

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<v Speaker 1>of its constituent parts are necessary for a sense of

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<v Speaker 1>consciousness and self awareness to emerge, even if we think

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<v Speaker 1>not enough sections have been reactivated for this to occur.

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<v Speaker 1>Might the brain be able to construct modes of conscious

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<v Speaker 1>self awareness that we are not yet aware of and

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<v Speaker 1>therefore wouldn't even know if they had been activated or not.

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<v Speaker 1>And if, by some miracle it were possible to restore

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<v Speaker 1>a sense of self awareness in a previously dead brain,

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<v Speaker 1>whose self awareness would it be the individual that existed

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<v Speaker 1>before death or something else, perhaps before we dismiss entirely

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<v Speaker 1>the more alarming possibilities, As pointed out by the authors

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<v Speaker 1>of a recent Comet piece about the remarkable brain X experiment,

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<v Speaker 1>we might do well to ponder the wise word sub

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<v Speaker 1>miracle Max from the nineteen eighty seven film The Princess Bride.

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<v Speaker 1>There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead.

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<v Speaker 1>Mostly dead is also slightly alive. If you enjoy listening

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<v Speaker 1>to Unexplained and would like to help support us, you

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<v Speaker 1>can now go to Unexplained podcast dot com, Forward slash Support.

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<v Speaker 1>All donations, no matter how large or small, are massively appreciated.

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<v Speaker 1>All elements of Unexplained are produced by me, Richard McClain smith.

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<v Speaker 1>Please subscribe and rate the show on iTunes, and feel

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<v Speaker 1>free to get in touch with any thoughts or ideas

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<v Speaker 1>regarding the stories you've heard on the show. Perhaps you

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<v Speaker 1>have an explanation of your own you'd like to share.

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<v Speaker 1>You can reach us online at Unexplained podcast dot com,

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<v Speaker 1>or Twitter at Unexplained Pod and Facebook at Facebook dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Forward Slash Unexplained Now, it's time to take care of yourself.

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<v Speaker 1>To make time for you, teledoc gives you access to

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<v Speaker 1>a licensed therapist to help you get back to feeling

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<v Speaker 1>your best. Speak to a licensed therapist by phone or

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<v Speaker 1>video anytime between seven am to nine pm local time,

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<v Speaker 1>seven days a week. Teledoc Therapy is available through most

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<v Speaker 1>insurance or employers. Download the app or visit teledoc dot com,

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<v Speaker 1>Forward Slash Unexplained Podcast Today to get started. That's t

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<v Speaker 1>e ladoc dot com, slash Unexplained podcast