

Miraculous Fingertip Regrowing Powder Strikes Again - kkleiner
http://singularityhub.com/2010/09/12/miraculous-fingertip-regrowing-powder-strikes-again-video/

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bobds
I lost the tip of one of my fingers when I was young, to a slamming door. It
grew back itself, without any magic powders.

"Little pieces (16mm or so) are possible, but most of our wildest dreams about
regenerating amputated body parts are still a long ways off."

I just had to measure it when I read that. Funnily enough, the mark that this
wound left starts at about 15 to 17mm from the tip. I remember I lost my whole
fingernail but somehow it grew back perfectly shaped.

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relix
That's amazing, I didn't know that was even possible. 1.6cm is huge!

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Vivtek
Depends on the age. Very young children can regenerate fingertips. That's
about it, though.

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bobds
I was about 10 years old, if I remember it right. Also note that the door
completely missed the bone, although I remember being able to see a small part
of it.

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tomjen3
It might not be able to regrow the limbs today, but it is nice to know that
somebody in the medical industry is actually working on improving our lives
through new innovations.

Far too often it looks like they are happy just getting rent and doing a few
modifications to existent patented medicine so that they can get another 20
years monopoly.

~~~
lionhearted
I voted this up after reading the first half - I disagree with the second
half. It might appear that way sometimes, but it's wrong - pharmaceutical
companies do a mix of billions of dollars in research (most of which never
pans out), and also provide exits/buy-outs for smaller labs who make a
discovery, which stimulates innovation as well. Some rent seeking, yes, too
much, maybe, but pharmaceuticals have been on balance one of the most wealth
creating industries over the last 20 years.

Azithromicin alone was worth the $120 before it went generic, and now you can
get it for dirt cheap. People laugh and joke about things like Viagra, but
it's helped a lot of people, especially as we're all living longer now. All
sorts of other things. Pharmaceutical and medical research companies are
amazing.

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poppers
Can I regrow my dick?

~~~
Twisol
Sorry, not yet. That's a pretty tough one to do, from what I've read.

But given the stories I've heard about some angry partners... I hope it will
be possible eventually. :S

