• Question: can you use stem cells to make an extra hand ?

    Asked by lukeyboi to James on 16 Mar 2011 in Categories: .
    • Photo: James Chan

      James Chan answered on 16 Mar 2011:

      check this out!!!
      http://www.swisswuff.ch/tech/?p=145
      It’s possible that one day we could use stem cells to help make an extra hand, but I think that’s still more science fiction than reality at the moment. But you never know, we didn’t know we’d get a man on the moon not long ago, and your playstation is hundreds of times more powerful than the computer they used!
      do you remember pictures of the mouse with the ear on its back? Well, that illustrates one of the problems. We can grow stem cells in flasks and things but to get them to have a structure, like the really complicated shape of the hand, would be really really hard, so you’d probably need to make a frame for the cells to grow on. also your hand is made up of loads of different types of cells – bone, tendons, muscles, ligaments, finger nail, hair… so to get all them to grow in the right places in the right order quickly and for them all to integrate with the rest of the body would be pretty hard! That’s why you should come and help us out, Lukeyboi!

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