Headlines suggesting that the scientists have found the DNA switch that could lead to human limb regrowth have fueled hopes that the discovery will offer precisely that. “I’ll get a new body right now!!” one person wrote in a lively Reddit thread about the finding, adding “I knew it was coming!!” Another posted: “Two of me working together and sharing our stuff? Count me in!” The process is known as “full-body regeneration,” and the term has captured the imagination of many individuals ready for a fresh start or second self. Srivastava and her co-authors published a paper Friday outlining their genetic discovery. Within eight days, you’ll have two or three fully functioning new worms, mouth, brain and all.ĭr. How hardy? Chop the three-banded panther worm in halves or thirds - either crosswise or diagonally - and each segment will regenerate just fine, said Mansi Srivastava, a professor of organismic and evolutionary biology at Harvard University. Scientists have now identified the master control gene responsible for that regrowth in one particularly hardy type of worm.
One half - the one with the brain - will typically grow into a full worm. An essential rite of passage for many an otherwise nonviolent child involves cutting an earthworm down the middle and watching as the two halves squirm.
