<
https://www.wired.com/2017/01/first-human-pig-chimera-step-toward-custom-organs/>
"Every day, 22 people in America die while waiting for an organ transplant. But
when scientists can grow replacement livers or kidneys or pancreases inside of
animal hosts, medicine’s organ shortage may end. That’s the hope anyway—and
this week there’s more reason to hope than ever that it might become reality."
Interesting progress on chimeras. Note this:
This suggests that rats don’t have gallbladders not because they can’t, but
because their rat-specific set of developmental instructions overrides that
ability. Change the environment, and those hidden traits come out. Wu says
there’s no reason we shouldn’t believe the same might hold true for humans.
“We generate organs and tissues now that we see as human, but maybe we have
the ability to do something more,” he says. “Those abilities, that have been
suppressed during evolution because we don’t need them anymore could be
unlocked. You just need a different environment.”
Via Kerry Amburgy-Dickson.
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://www.xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
http://www.glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
http://www.sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
