When a piece of skin, muscle, bone, nails, or hair gets removed or damaged, those usually grow back like nothing happened. So, why isn’t it possible for hands, or even something smaller like a finger to regrow? Or would a piece of meat just regrow there instead of something useful?
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The human immune system can fight diseases. If you get cut, your platelets will form a clot to repair the blood vessel and your skin can form new tissue. Bones can mend after a break—this ability is exploited for limb-lengthening procedures. However, a bone that is truncated or removed can’t reform.
Species like salamanders can regrow limbs and, since all species on Earth have common ancestors, it’s possible humans have dormant genes for similar functions. So scientists are trying to learn more about how this process works. The hope isn’t to help humans grow back arms tomorrow but to help burn victims or people suffering from macular degeneration.
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