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slouchingtoepiphany t1_ire77hx wrote

Individual cells die when they lose their ability to carry out aerobic metabolism because ATP is needed to maintain membrane integrity. Accordingly, the brain is one of the first things to die, some of the tissues that take longer include hair and fingernails, which can live for several days active the heart has stopped and the brain is dead.

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fwubglubbel t1_irf1ahm wrote

Hair and fingernails are dead cells aren't they? They may continue to grow if more cells die, but they are not alive. Am I wrong?

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nrtl-bwlitw t1_irf5dxw wrote

I thought it was a misconception that hair and fingernails keep growing after you die. Supposedly what really happens is, the flesh and skin around hair and fingernails shrink, giving the appearance that they're growing when they're really not.

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