Regrowing Limbs
March 18, 2008 3:40 PM Subscribe
Can People Regenerate Body Parts? "Progress on the road to regenerating major body parts, salamander-style, could transform the treatment of amputations and major wounds."
Dear Science:
Quit it. Seriously, this shit is starting to freak me out.
Sincerely,
Schroedinger
posted by Anonymous at 4:07 PM on March 18, 2008
Quit it. Seriously, this shit is starting to freak me out.
Sincerely,
Schroedinger
posted by Anonymous at 4:07 PM on March 18, 2008
I wonder how long it would take to heal/regrow an entire adult leg.
posted by Hicksu at 4:19 PM on March 18, 2008
posted by Hicksu at 4:19 PM on March 18, 2008
It could transform the treatment of ampuation?
Oh, you think so?
posted by oddman at 4:28 PM on March 18, 2008
Oh, you think so?
posted by oddman at 4:28 PM on March 18, 2008
Talking about regenerating limbs always creeps me out. I read a short sf story a long time ago where people started trying to 'regrow' things they didn't have in the first place. The story ended in a messy description of what can be briefly described as a 'catastrophic breakdown.' Echh.
(but, people pools aside, this is interesting and would be quite a breakthrough.)
posted by flatluigi at 4:38 PM on March 18, 2008
(but, people pools aside, this is interesting and would be quite a breakthrough.)
posted by flatluigi at 4:38 PM on March 18, 2008
Give those scientists a hand!
posted by L. Fitzgerald Sjoberg at 4:52 PM on March 18, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by L. Fitzgerald Sjoberg at 4:52 PM on March 18, 2008 [3 favorites]
Seems like regrowing a limb would be way high on the list of most excruciatingly painful experiences possible. Normal growing pains are bad enough, but to have muscle, bone, and tendon straining themselves to the limit for however many months it would take to reform the limb... Ouch.
I propose that instead of funding torturous limb regeneration research, labs should be working on chrome plated replacement limbs. Preferably with pop up laser guns for the forearms and jump jets in the feet.
posted by bunnytricks at 4:56 PM on March 18, 2008
I propose that instead of funding torturous limb regeneration research, labs should be working on chrome plated replacement limbs. Preferably with pop up laser guns for the forearms and jump jets in the feet.
posted by bunnytricks at 4:56 PM on March 18, 2008
On the bright side, this sort of levels the playing field against the imminent threat of BigDog rending your leg from its socket in your maddened attempts to kick the diabolical black devil machine over so you can flee to the relative safety of one of the last remaining human outposts. You can just regrow that leg again. And your arm. and spleen... and shattered spinal column....
Oh, Science!, what fearsome whimsies wont you pursue?
posted by CheshireCat at 4:58 PM on March 18, 2008
Oh, Science!, what fearsome whimsies wont you pursue?
posted by CheshireCat at 4:58 PM on March 18, 2008
So... is this one of those always-in-twenty-years things? The article seems a bit vague (granted, I only read pages 1 and 6, because I need to go get dinner).
posted by ®@ at 5:05 PM on March 18, 2008
posted by ®@ at 5:05 PM on March 18, 2008
Paging Dr. Connors, paging Dr. Curt Connors to the lab.
posted by infinitewindow at 5:14 PM on March 18, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by infinitewindow at 5:14 PM on March 18, 2008 [2 favorites]
"An adult salamander can regenerate a lost arm or leg this way over and over again, regardless of how many times the part is amputated."
I now have in my brain this image of a deranged human chopping a salamander's limb everyday, lovingly feeding the salamander everyday, to again chop a limb off next day, ad infinitum. Ugh!
posted by francesca too at 5:28 PM on March 18, 2008
I now have in my brain this image of a deranged human chopping a salamander's limb everyday, lovingly feeding the salamander everyday, to again chop a limb off next day, ad infinitum. Ugh!
posted by francesca too at 5:28 PM on March 18, 2008
It's quite hard to not read that article in the style of a Mohinder Suresh annoying voiceover.
posted by danhon at 5:39 PM on March 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by danhon at 5:39 PM on March 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
Man, L. Fitzgerald Sjoberg, you sure are on a roll today.
posted by signalnine at 5:49 PM on March 18, 2008
posted by signalnine at 5:49 PM on March 18, 2008
This is awesome. Please life, imitate art.
posted by twins named Lugubrious and Salubrious at 6:03 PM on March 18, 2008
posted by twins named Lugubrious and Salubrious at 6:03 PM on March 18, 2008
"Why, he's grown a foot since I saw him the last time."
posted by gimonca at 6:09 PM on March 18, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by gimonca at 6:09 PM on March 18, 2008 [3 favorites]
Id like my hair back
posted by monkee at 6:24 PM on March 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by monkee at 6:24 PM on March 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
Ted Talks: Alan Russell: Why can't we grow new body parts? Feb '06.
posted by Static Vagabond at 6:25 PM on March 18, 2008
posted by Static Vagabond at 6:25 PM on March 18, 2008
Nonononononono. I want cybernetic limbs to perform feats of manly bravery.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:30 PM on March 18, 2008
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:30 PM on March 18, 2008
I now have in my brain this image of a deranged human chopping a salamander's limb everyday, lovingly feeding the salamander everyday, to again chop a limb off next day, ad infinitum. Ugh!
It would be even better if what the salamander is being fed every day is its own limb.
posted by brain_drain at 6:37 PM on March 18, 2008
It would be even better if what the salamander is being fed every day is its own limb.
posted by brain_drain at 6:37 PM on March 18, 2008
I now have in my brain this image of a deranged human chopping a salamander's limb everyday, lovingly feeding the salamander everyday, to again chop a limb off next day, ad infinitum. Ugh!
And it opens up new horizons of torture and interrogation!
"No, don't dismember me... again!"
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:37 PM on March 18, 2008
And it opens up new horizons of torture and interrogation!
"No, don't dismember me... again!"
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:37 PM on March 18, 2008
CBS story with a video of the dude mentioned in the Sci-Am article (Lee Spievak) who regrew an inch of his middle finger. Cool stuff.
posted by cdmckay at 8:24 PM on March 18, 2008
posted by cdmckay at 8:24 PM on March 18, 2008
flatluigi - that's a really legitimate concern. Sure, you can get terminal cells (?) to start dividing again or reset stem cells to growth phase; but how do you tell them to stop?
Besides, you'd have to tell the regenerating limb how far to grow. Lost a leg? Regrow it. Too bad it's 20 centimeters shorter than your other leg.
brain_drain - it' very likely that there are scores (hundreds, tens of hundreds?) of grad students studying regeneration in amphibians who do exactly that.
maryh - finally a test to see if you really are what you eat?
posted by porpoise at 9:31 PM on March 18, 2008
Besides, you'd have to tell the regenerating limb how far to grow. Lost a leg? Regrow it. Too bad it's 20 centimeters shorter than your other leg.
brain_drain - it' very likely that there are scores (hundreds, tens of hundreds?) of grad students studying regeneration in amphibians who do exactly that.
maryh - finally a test to see if you really are what you eat?
posted by porpoise at 9:31 PM on March 18, 2008
I now have in my brain this image of a deranged human chopping a salamander's limb everyday, lovingly feeding the salamander everyday, to again chop a limb off next day, ad infinitum.
As Sisyphus-salamanders to wanton scientists are we to the gods; They amputate us for their sport.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:04 AM on March 19, 2008
As Sisyphus-salamanders to wanton scientists are we to the gods; They amputate us for their sport.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:04 AM on March 19, 2008
So chop my head off and let me regrow from the neck down. Oh, first, wire my head into a computer so I can at least type on Metafilter while waiting for regrowth to complete.
posted by Goofyy at 4:34 AM on March 19, 2008
posted by Goofyy at 4:34 AM on March 19, 2008
So humans can already regenerate our fingertips it they are amputated - complete with finger prints and sensation? That, in itself, was a pretty cool medical revelation to me.
posted by rongorongo at 7:03 AM on March 19, 2008
posted by rongorongo at 7:03 AM on March 19, 2008
This research was funded in part by a grant from the John Wayne Bobbitt medical foundation.
posted by TedW at 10:56 AM on March 19, 2008
posted by TedW at 10:56 AM on March 19, 2008
As Sisyphus-salamanders to wanton scientists are we to the gods; They amputate us for their sport.
Prometheus would be more appropriate here I think. He's the one that regrew the liver daily for the vulture to tear out.
posted by Zinger at 4:08 PM on March 19, 2008
Prometheus would be more appropriate here I think. He's the one that regrew the liver daily for the vulture to tear out.
posted by Zinger at 4:08 PM on March 19, 2008
I'm surprised the article didn't mention the MRL mouse. It seems like the closest a mammal's ever gotten to being like a salamander. And it's furry.
posted by greatgefilte at 8:53 PM on March 19, 2008
posted by greatgefilte at 8:53 PM on March 19, 2008
Prometheus would be more appropriate here I think.
Probably. By the time I hit post, I wasn't quite sure what I was trying to get across, there.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 10:24 PM on March 19, 2008
Probably. By the time I hit post, I wasn't quite sure what I was trying to get across, there.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 10:24 PM on March 19, 2008
We love you homunculus!
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:13 AM on April 2, 2008
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:13 AM on April 2, 2008
Aww, you just made my withered heart come back to life!
posted by homunculus at 5:50 PM on April 2, 2008
posted by homunculus at 5:50 PM on April 2, 2008
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HEY NOW!
posted by The Straightener at 3:42 PM on March 18, 2008