Mammalian regeneration!

That'd be fun, but what am I going to do with all these extra arms and legs laying around? Would the "appendage" grow back the same each time or would it be different? That could make for some interesting "replacements".

I miss having my tail. Damn car doors.

It sounds like if you were starving, you could cannibalize yourself. Plane crashes over the Andes?? No worry, no problem, and above all, no guilt. Who would think that by eating a foot, you might save your ass?

an eye for an eye?

an eye for an eye?

No longer makes the whole world blind.

there would be no deterrence in islamic law for thieves

there would be no deterrence in islamic law for thieves

Running with the scissors would be an Olympic event.

So Douglas, a lizard or gecko or whatever you want to call it regenerates its tail; not a mammal. Same with Atlantic blue crab and Maine lobster claws, also not mammals. I suspect they are missing this p21? While I like cold-blooded creatures, I am partial to mammals just they way we are. Cowboy brought a lizard in one day with a trail of blood behind him. We had a long talk about killing/maiming creatures and he hasn't done it since......I don't think, anyway.

Lucifer, save your ass instead of eating your buddy? UGH

Hello Lynnie!

Actually the way it would work if they were able to get it implemented for humans is this. You would be exactly the way you are now, except you would heal much faster and better. Instead of leaving a scar, cuts would heal perfectly without a trace. If you lost the tip of a finger, it would grow back. If you were in a car wreck and had spinal damage that would currently leave you quadriplegic, you would heal and regain full movement. If you had a bad heart, it would regenerate to a healthy robust state. Otherwise you would be the same, warm blooded mammal that you are now in all ways! It has the potential to change everything medically!

So, how do we extract p21 from us mammals? Will this replace stem cell research?

So, how do we extract p21 from us mammals? Will this replace stem cell research?

P21 is a gene that can be turned off. When it is turned off, the regeneration is turned on. Actually, its interesting that you mention stem cells. In normal healing a scab appears and the flesh heals by basically knitting together and when the scab falls off, you can be left with a scar. With regeneration a blastema forms instead of a scar. Within the blastema, normal cells are converted to their protean stem cell state. These stem cells then reform where the missing or damaged cells are as a perfect replacement. That is why healing is perfect without scars. This is basically stem cell therapy being performed by the body automatically!