Why can a small child grow back the tip of a finger or toe if lost early enough in development, when an adult can't? What changed? What switch was flipped? Why was this 'healing factor' eventually turned off? Studies into things like the body's extracellular matrix can offer insights, but in the Science journal via Yahoo researchers at Harvard University have explained their own progress towards a breakthrough.
After studying the ability of three-banded panther worms nowhere near as cool as their name suggests, trust us to regrow massive sections of their bodies, scientists succeeded in first identifying, and now interrupting the gene responsible for triggering that cellular regeneration. The animals just can't regenerate. All those downstream genes won't turn on, so the other switches don't work, and the whole house goes dark, basically.
So, how does this help human beings heal from wounds and regrow limbs and organs like Deadpool or Wolverine? So he clipped their toes, but they grew back. He then waxed their backs, but their fur grew back more quickly than usual. It appeared that Lin28a -- a gene that scientists think regulates the self-renewal of stem cells -- gave the mice special regeneration abilities. Aside from any " Rats of NIMH " flashbacks many of us might be having from this description, it's worth considering the scientific significance of Daley's accidental discovery.
The team "found they could replicate the healing abilities of the engineered mice by giving non-genetically altered ones drugs that help activate certain metabolic processes -- the same pathway Lin28a stimulates -- revving up and energizing cells as if they were much younger," Scientific American explains. For now, the scientists only observed the healing power of Lin28a in baby mice and couldn't replicate the same limb regeneration in mice past 5 weeks old.
Helmets protect the skull from fracture and the scalp from lesion, but not the brain from internal bumps. Comic books have done so in the past, showing that Wolverine can be knocked out cold by a wooden sword. And the recent X-Men films also show this weakness. In X2: X-Men United, Wolverine gets shot in the forehead from point-blank range and is rendered unconscious.
Though his skull prevents penetration, the impact from the bullet—equivalent to being hit in the face with a baseball going miles per hour—still floors the mighty mutant. If he has lost his regenerative powers, a few strategic knocks to the noggin could permanently disable Logan. Comic book canon dictates that Logan carries pounds of adamantium on his already burly frame, bringing his total weight up to pounds. Obvious advantages come along with such reinforcement.
Wolverine will never break a bone. Wolverine also has superhuman strength because he has had to lug around an extra pounds of metal for decades. With his super-strength, he can land a punch that would be like running face-first into scaffolding. Some sources estimate that heavyweight blows have killed around boxers in the last century; adding an indestructible metal fist to the equation spells trouble. But there are serious disadvantages to a heavy metal frame.
Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options.
Discover World-Changing Science. And that outcome can benefit everyone—from superheroes to you and me. Paul Zehr Recent Articles by E. Paul Zehr Captain America vs. Thanos: Who's on the Side of Science?
Get smart. Sign up for our email newsletter. Sign Up. Read More Previous. Support science journalism.
0コメント