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First Mammals Observed Regenerating Tissue
ananyo writes "Two species of African spiny mouse have been caught at something no other mammal is known to do — completely regenerating damaged tissue. The work could help improve wound healing in humans. The species — Acomys kempi and Acomys percivali — have skin that is brittle and easily torn, which helps them to escape predators by jettisoning patches of their skin when caught or bitten. Researchers report that whereas normal laboratory mice (Mus musculus) grow scar tissue when their skin is removed, African spiny mice can regrow complete suites of hair follicles, skin, sweat glands, fur and even cartilage (abstract). Tissue regeneration has not been seen in mammals before, though it is common in crustaceans, insects, reptiles and amphibians."
I can regenerate my balls now
I've spent the last 20 years perfecting my Unix skills. The main thing I've always felt was holding me back form perfect success is a lack of a neck beard and no where near enough sweat glands. This may finally get me to perfect my professional arts.
Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
Where trolls are actually on-topic?
I think you're underestimating the significance of this. A creature such as a lobster can regenerate an entire limb. If you cut a starfish in two, each half will regenerate the missing half so that it becomes two independent starfish. When human flesh heals, it tends to simply fill in the gap with scar tissue rather than replace the missing part. Especially for specialised tissue such as brain and heart tissue, once you've lost it, it's gone for good. If we can figure out how to make these parts regenerate, then it will revolutionize the treatment of all kinds of illness - stroke, heart attack, amputation, etc. Richard
So when Tom smashes Jerry with a frying pan, and Jerry shakes it off and goes back to work, it's not so far fetched after all.
Table-ized A.I.
I believe we are considered mammals...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regeneration_%28biology%29#Humans
MRL mice have been observed doing this for over a DECADE now. Hell, we've narrowed down the gene responsible, even.
Here's an article from /. in 2002 on the subject: http://science.slashdot.org/story/02/09/26/1211256/human-limb-regeneration-a-possibility?sdsrc=next /. in 2010 on the subject: http://science.slashdot.org/story/10/03/17/1425241/scientists-demonstrate-mammalian-tissue-regeneration
Here's an article from
Here's a video on the subject: http://vimeo.com/19096437
And here's my faith in /.'s editorial staff:
Ignorance won't get you nowhere in life.
Unless it is in politics or entertainment.....
I remember an article on Scientific American about limb regeneration. Salamanders are the gold standard for regenerating limbs but the article stated that rat/mice are capable of fully regenerate fingers (don't remember if talking of common rat or MRL mice) and with treatment a human could regrow part of fingers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regeneration_(biology)#Mammals http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphy_Roths_Large http://www.sciencentral.com/articles/view.php3?article_id=218392774&cat=1_2 http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=regrowing-human-limbs
What about fingers?
In May 1932, L.H. McKim published a report inThe Canadian Medical Association Journal, that described the regeneration of an adult digit-tip following amputation. A house surgeon in the Montreal General Hospital underwent amputation of thedistal phalanxto stop the spread of an infection. In less than one month following surgery, x-ray analysis showed the regrowth of bone while macroscopic observation showed the regrowth of nail and skin.
Especially for specialised tissue such as brain (...) once you've lost it, it's gone for good. If we can figure out how to make these parts regenerate, then it will revolutionize the treatment of all kinds of illness.
While in general I agree with your statement, I think the brain is where things will get muddy. A lung or heart or even a leg is "relatively" simple. Provided you grown the bones on the right place and the right kind of muscle in the right kind of configuration, it works fine. It may not be a lung working at 100% capacity, or a leg equal to the other one, but it works.
A brain on the other hand, it's not just a static collection of cells. We know that our brain reorganizes (e.g. during the learning process and as a consequence of it) and so, even regrowing the brain tissue would still leave you with a scar. Not necessarily a physical one, you could be capable of controlling all your bodily functions (maintaining a heartbeat, using your legs) without a problem, but a self scar. If the disease touches the parts that control who you are (i.e. personality related areas, and there's plenty of them), even getting them back would result in a different you. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing... but it still not really a cure for the "illness", it's a treatment (in the sense that you don't get your old self back, but you get to a different steady state.
You know, when thinking about which animals defensive ability to choose, it always used to be sea cucumber, hands down.
Now I'll be thinking about whether being able to regurgitate my own stomach really is better than being able to remove my own skin with impunity!
One of my favorite regeneration stories is about the crown of thorns starfish. To battle population booms (before this species was well understood) the sent divers out with machetes to kick ass. After a run they did a census, the creatures had become smaller but their population more than doubled!
Just like the dancing brooms in Fantasia, only without an occult Mickey Mouse.
Also: Penis enlargement.
A whole industry is waiting on this.
It is true that the "higher" parts of the brain contain memories and personality, etc. But there are some parts of the brain that are much lower and still essential. Take Parkinson's disease. If we could regrow the neurons that degenerate in Parkinson's patients, they'd have a much better quality of life. Even if the new neurons don't work identically to the old ones, the patient is still better off and has not undergone a significant personality change.
That's correct. There are creatures on this planet that can regenerate whole limbs. It's nothing new.
However, what part of 'First mammals' in the OP and article flew past you? We have the first -mammals- now that actually perfectly regenerate skin, flesh and cartilage.
This has big implications for the research into what makes this stuff tick, and how it could be reproduced in -other mammals-.
Like, say...humans. These strange, endlessly multiplying mammals
I think we should avoid over-hyping this. This is a mouse that can regenerate skin rather than scar tissue. I see nothing to suggest it grows new bones, muscles, major blood vessels, or nerves, so it's unlikely that this will move us much closer to regenerating lost limbs. Not to dismiss the findings. I'm a cell biologist, this is extremely interesting to me still, and regenerating skin rather than scar tissue is obviously important enough to merit a lot more study.
I'd hazard a guess that it's likely we'll be able to make as many skin cells as you'd need using induced pluripotent stem cell technology before too long. However, that wouldn't be -skin- that would be some flasks of cells. With the skin cell gun, it's possible to treat and heal second degree burns, but wiki tells me it isn't yet been validated for third degree burns, and I'm guessing has little hope of replacing skin that is completely lost due to disease or other injury. So the ability to make new skin in humans will be an important breakthrough, and these mice may tell us how, that's very exciting. But I don't think it's likely to help all types of regenerative medicine.
I'm not disagreeing with you, but you also need to keep in mind that what you are talking about is not a black and white issue. Every experience you have in life, including reading this post makes you a different "you". Every time you forget something, which we all do all the time, you are a different "you". So, the "self scar" that you refer to is growing each and every day in each and every one of us. It would just be more shocking to see 5 years of "self scar" occur over night.