Which are the last cells of the human body to die?

Question

When somebody dies, which are the last surviving cells of his/her body? Those of hair, nails, or some other obscure but resilient cells?Shedding light on why and how they are so vital might boost our knowledge of survival pathways.

Answer 1

You need a pathologist to answer this one, but the items you mentioned - hair, nails - are not living tissue anyway. That's why you can cut them without pain or blood.

Answer 2

In this article, it states that stem cells are the longest lasting cells to fight to stay alive. Considering the function of stem cells, this makes sense. Stem cells can turn into most cells. As most other cells are dying, these cells are trying to change into these lost cells to allow the organism to last longer. So, you are absolutely right that determining how stem cells stay alive is key to prolonging life.