Regeneration of Body Parts

a starfish regrowing one of its limbs

Is it possible to regrow skin, fingers, whole arms and legs? Hearts and kidneys?

It seems very possible — and is happening!

Background

Limb regeneration research by Robert O. Becker (an orthopedic surgeon) showed that mammals could regrow amputated arms and legs by simply passing a specific electric current across the amputation site — and this research was done in the 1970's!

Unfortunately, his research lost funding (coincidentally after he testified against the electric company for ignoring the risks of high voltage lines).

Plus, the battery and wires needed are very cheap and hence not likely to lead to giant profits, so it has been largely ignored.

I had followed his research in the 1970's, and am glad to see interest in the field coming back!

I invite you to watch this fascinating video on regeneration of cells from CBS' Cutting Edge.

More Information

The Body Electric by Robert Becker MD — this book discusses his research on limb regeneration.