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
“Embryogenesis” is the study of how a single cell becomes a fully formed human. It’s an incredibly complex process involving many different genes and specialized cells and we’re just scratching the surface of fully understanding it.
Some of the cells that an early embryo has that have the potential to become anything are called “pluripotent stem cells” and they only exist in embryos.
Regrowing organs and tissues that are a genetic match for patients who need them is the holy grail of this area of medicine and science but we’re not quite there yet.
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