I suspect that this is just the beginning of getting to the point at which we'll be able to regenerate whole limbs.
Interestingly, Patricia had a very similar injury a few years ago when we were diving in the Dominican Republic. She had it stitched up in Santo Domingo, and the nail is there now, but the finger is just a little shorter, and still a little numb at the end. This would have been a much better solution.
Anyway, bring it on.
I suspect that we will be getting spam about this along the lines of the enhancement crap. A little real results being used to promise the world by con artists.
Regenerative medicine is all fun and games until someone gains an eye.
"Careful with that. You'll put an eye in!"
"Enhancement" is just the first step. Soon the spammers will be promising to grow us all a second wing-wang.
""Enhancement" is just the first step. Soon the spammers will be promising to grow us all a second wing-wang."
Jeez, and I thought I could not get anything done now.
Paul F. Dietz wrote:
Regenerative medicine is all fun and games until someone gains an eye.
I think it will be a very useful medical field.
I was commenting on one of the side effects.
I view this the same way I do Lasic eye repair.
I will use it myself when when the trades line
up. Field experience on others and costs vs needs
personal trades.
I wonder how those in the Deaf Community will take it, when it becomes possible to regenerate (without the 're,' if you never had some of the necessary structures) fully functional ears, right down to the auditory nerve connections?
The blind seem to react to useful advances with something like; "Hey, if it helps, I'll give it a shot." without building a 'cultural' imperative around their condition...
I hope this can eventually (perhaps ten years?) be used to trick the body into regrowing eyes as well.
As for the cultures of the deaf or the blind etc. I think it proves that losing sight is a far worse and harsher predicament than losing sound. Perhaps that's just personal bias: deafness would remove music but blindness would remove almost everything else.
I think it will be a very useful medical field.
I was commenting on one of the side effects.
I was engaging in my love for word play. I think Rand recognized that. :)
If you want the technical background, the story has actually been available for ages
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/142
I found that last link informative, worth the 20 minutes to watch the video.
"involves scraping the cells from the lining of a pig's bladder"
The only side effect is a peculiar odor emanating from the regrow finger.