Technically, in a sense, animation and reanimation of "dead" tissue has long since been achieved through the application of electric impulses. However, there is a time limit. The reanimation of long-dead preserved tissue is something else entirely, and does indeed raise fascinating questions, both biological and philosophical.
If one of these creatures could be captured and restrained, I may be able to utilize the ability of my people to create a direct telepathic link between myself and another being, and by so doing, determine whether its sentience is indeed intelligent and somehow still... human.