Print Yourself a Femur

Scrooge919 writes "Newscientist is running an article about a new 'bone printer' that can be used to replace segments of broken bones. A large segment could be fabricated in about an hour and would be able to support the person's weight. Over the course of about 18 months, the section is absorbed by the body and replaced with real bone."

Comments

Re:I can only imagine...

[Anonymous Coward]

I will be the first to say that I just plain don't get the parent...

What?

Re:Government

[davet]

But why have we let ourselves be roped into holding back life-altering discoveries that work just because it doesn't have some commission's stamp on it?

Doesn't that beg the question: How do you tell the "life-altering discoveries that work" from those that don't?

The only way to be sure, is to test them and have someone stand over them to make sure that the tests are done in a reasonable manner. No amount infomercial airtime, anecdotal testimonials nor authoritative claims by actors dressed up in white lab coats, will answer that question. Just ask those people who drank radium laced water, becuase they were told it would cure their diseases and make them healthy and vigorous. Oh wait! You can't! They died horrible deaths from it's toxic effects. Quite a life-altering discovery for them, wasn't it?

Because of Thalidomide and DES...

[stanwirth]

It takes time to complete FDA studies, and even then it's often not enough. Side effects can take decades, or even generations to show up.

Friend Good! Ephedrine Bad!

[stanwirth]

Thanks, Eric. I had to deal with someone close to me who was essentially addicted to ephedrine through daily use of "Mah Huang" aka ephedra sinica, a natural herbal supplement, the active ingredient of which is ephedrine -- which is no less harmful than crank. It can be just as deadly, too -- an overdose can be fatal. Way, Way bad!

pseudephedrine is the manufactured ingredient, the main ingredient in Sudafed, a leading decongestant. The same people that wouldn't take a handful of Sudafed will go ahead and take the equivalent dose of mah huang, because it's natural and organic. So is deadly nightshade. Not a great idea.

While it would be a shame if every herbal tea company were regulated into oblivion, its also clear that some "natural organics" can be quite dangerous (tobacco, psilocybin mushrooms, peyote buttons...)-- not to mention all kinds of unnatural inorganic treatments people try. Prior to the founding of the FDA there were some truly dangerous quack treatments -- electrical shocks to the nads for STD's for example. Unscientific, dangerous and quite scary stuff!

Re:Teeth?

[zer0vector]

I doubt this would work well with teeth, since by design the "printed" bones are only temporary, intended to be replaced by real, growing bone. Teeth don't grow like other types of bones, so this would most likely not work.