September 29, 2006

Regrowing Body parts

Researchers at Northwestern University have discovered a way for humans to replace damaged body parts or even regrow missing limbs. Thanks to funding from the U.S. Military, scientists have learned that humans possess the same genes that other species (salamanders, star fish) have that allow them to regrow damaged limbs. It's just that in humans the gene goes dormant shortly before birth. These doctors now believe that they may be able to reactivate the gene and trigger the body to repair itself even more than it already does.

This is crazy, but in a really cool way. Sure, it might take months, or even a year, to fully re-grow a hand or arm that had been lost to injury or illness, but imagine how dramatically a discovery like this could change health care.

Read more about it here.

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