Topic: Technology used to regrow a man's finger

[Johnny]

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/09/16/s-fl-doctor-uses-new-technology-to-re-grow-mans-finger/

Seriously they are coming closer and closer in technology to solve a lot of problems with people who have no limbs or their limbs don't work.

[Lelygax]

Doesnt seems legit to me.

[GuyStarwind]

Who cares about fingers what about my hair?

[Shiroi Koumori]

Who cares about fingers what about my hair?

hehehe. Just tell people that bald is in.

[Mooning Freddy]

The title is misleading. They didn't "regrow" the man's finger, they merely attached it back when it was in a bad condition.

Attaching back a recently-severed limb is possible, because the body can identify it and "reconnect" it to the body. It can be done even with foreign body parts; This is what allows transplants.
But growing a body part back like a lizard is still not possible (yet). Adult human cells simply don't have the capability to do it. Perhaps stem-cell research could provide solutions to that problem, since as you know embryonic cells have certain characteristics required for human development that adult cells do not. 

[Johnny]

The title is misleading. They didn't "regrow" the man's finger, they merely attached it back when it was in a bad condition.

Attaching back a recently-severed limb is possible, because the body can identify it and "reconnect" it to the body. It can be done even with foreign body parts; This is what allows transplants.
But growing a body part back like a lizard is still not possible (yet). Adult human cells simply don't have the capability to do it. Perhaps stem-cell research could provide solutions to that problem, since as you know embryonic cells have certain characteristics required for human development that adult cells do not.

True, I think the only way a human could actually regrow actual limbs is to become in a sense a parahuman. Basically the same way they took a goat and added the DNA properties of having silk protein in their milk they would have to take the DNA properties of a worm or Starfish and add that to the embryo of a human. Even if they do that who knows if it would actually work. Don't forget Starfish and Worms don't have any bones so regeneration for them wouldn't be as complex as regeneration for an organism with bones and complicated organ systems. It would have to be tried first with a rat or other animal embryo. Thus far no such thing has been attempted.