Eli5: if our bodies are able to form entire human beings from scratch, why can’t it grow back organs that have been amputated?
In: Biology
It’s actually a huge mystery. Mammals in general are not good regenerators, unlike a lot of other kinds of life. One idea is that our immune systems disfavor regeneration because the process involves creating cells that are highly unspecified (cells that have the potential to become lots of other kinds of cells i.e. pre-differentiated). Another process that involves cells like that is tumorigenesis. So it could be a tradeoff; complex mammalian immune systems that survey and prevent cancer could also be what stops us from regenerating. But let me emphasize, this is an idea; the reason is not at all well understood.
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