Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

Perhaps it could be turned on and off as needed: lose a finger in an accident, and take a drug to turn regeneration on. Grow your finger back in a week, and then take another drug (or stop taking the first drug) to go back to normal.


Your comment was either flagged or downvoted in to oblivion... I have vouched for it as I can't see any reason for either...


That's not how it works. For your finger to be capable of regeneration, the relevant genes would have to be in all your cells beforehand.

Advanced genetic engineering can be used to ensure that particular genes get activated only in the presence of some molecule that isn't naturally present in humans, so it would happen only if you take that particular drug; but it would still be applicable only to "newly built" humans e.g. as part of in vitro fertilization, not as something that can be applied to adults.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: