Interestingly, the original experiment that spawned these stories (Alexis Carrel allegedly kept a culture of chicken heart alive for 20 years) was never replicated, and it's suspected that fresh cells were added to the mass to keep it going.
Attempts to replicate it lead to the discovery of the Hayflick Limit, which observes that most animal cells can only divide a limited number of times before dying.
Attempts to replicate it lead to the discovery of the Hayflick Limit, which observes that most animal cells can only divide a limited number of times before dying.