Army Technology - Grow back limbs and other need things!

[trc123]

[url]http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/12/22/army.technology/index.html[/url]

The Army's regenerative medicine study combined properties from the intestinal lining and the urinary bladder to create a regenerative substance called Extracellular Matrix.

The cream-colored crystallized powder, called "magic dust," boosts the body's natural tendency to repair itself, said U.S. Army Biological Scientist Sgt. Gen Rossman. When the matrix is applied to a missing digit or limb, "the body thinks it's back in the womb," Rossman said.

One civilian participated in the regenerative-medicine study after cutting off the tip of his finger in a model plane's propeller. Researchers continually applied the matrix to the wound, and after four weeks, the body grew skin and tissue to replenish the damaged area.

The U.S. military branches have begun a consortium with private institutions to develop treatments for severely injured troops. With the help of grants, the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine is studying nerve and vein transplantation, treating burns without scarring and regeneration of tissue, skin and even bone.

Through both animal studies and civilian clinical trials, the institute is developing therapies for the large number of soldiers injured by improvised explosive devices and other explosives in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"We are working on trying to regenerate limbs, to repair limbs and to keep them from being amputated," institute Project Director Col. Bob Vandre said.

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In my opinion, cloning is not too far off and then what?

[HappyChristian]

Hmmmm - if limbs could be regenerated, that would be something. I dont' think it's like cloning, though. Cloning is creating something outside of God's design of creation. This regeneration may be, too, I don't know. But, really, to me, if regeneration is possible, it is because of the way God made the human body. I know the liver will regenerate itself, so why not other parts? Interesting to contemplate.

[Salyan]

I wonder if this 'magic dust' can tell what sort of cells need buildling? For instance, can it differentiate between skin, bone, and fingernail cells?

[trc123]

[quote="salyan"]I wonder if this 'magic dust' can tell what sort of cells need buildling? For instance, can it differentiate between skin, bone, and fingernail cells?[/quote]

I think it is in the DNA as to what then grows with the "pixie" dust's help.

[Guest Guest]

I know salamanders and a few other species of animals have been studied a great deal due to their ability to regrow lost limbs. I wouldn't be surprised if they figured out how to do it for people someday. This type of thing is one place where the use stem cells(adult, not from babies) quite a bit.

[TheBibleSender]

I was talking with a guy the otehr day who worked with people that were working on regrowing limbs organs etc using the person own DNA They were working on regrowing kidneys for transplants which he said would remove the need for all the anti rejection drugs transplant patients have to take. It sounded pretty neat. God bless. :)

[Marcus2Israel]

:eek

[JerryNumbers]

The scientist and researchers dream of doing the impossible and work quite hard towards that goal.

With faith we are actually told by God we can do things that seem impossible to us, but many of us keep saying, I can't or either we don't try or have the faith to try. I stand guilty too.

[trc123]

The scientist and researchers dream of doing the impossible and work quite hard towards that goal.

With faith we are actually told by God we can do things that seem impossible to us, but many of us keep saying, I can't or either we don't try or have the faith to try. I stand guilty too.

If the scientists do accomplish the impossible and clone human life, what effect does that have on the Christian faith?

[Salyan]

:stir:, eh, trc?

If a scientist was successful in creating life -- a real, live human body -- would that body in fact be alive? It is God that gave Adam the breath of life. Man cannot provide that. We might be able to clone some cells, but we cannot provide a soul or spirit. Would the existence of this complete human body 'force' God to provide it with life and a soul? Or would we have a race of soulless, 'vegetable' humans in existence? (Now that could cause some soteriological problems.)

[Danny Carlton]

If the scientists do accomplish the impossible and clone human life, what effect does that have on the Christian faith?

A clone would be a human produced in more or less the same way everyone else is produced--copying the genetic material. In the case of the clone it's an asexual, exact copy. If the clone lives, then it would be a real person with a soul. We don't have the power to end run around God and do something outside His ability to control. While the technology is an evil thing to pursue when it comes to humans, the results--the clone--would himself or herself be no more evil than a child that is the result of a rape.

[JerryNumbers]

A clone would be a human produced in more or less the same way everyone else is produced--copying the genetic material. In the case of the clone it's an asexual, exact copy. If the clone lives, then it would be a real person with a soul. We don't have the power to end run around God and do something outside His ability to control. While the technology is an evil thing to pursue when it comes to humans, the results--the clone--would himself or herself be no more evil than a child that is the result of a rape.

I must admit, your statement, I have no idea if your right or wrong. And by what I say, I mean not put down for your opinion.

But I do believe that is something man ought to leave alone. I feel that many are trying to do God's part and are completely failing to put ALL of their faith in God.

It is something I have gave lots of thought on and have read others opinions. I would suppose, on a subject as such, to know the truth of it, I would have to be God and or have a special revelation from God. I just have not found the answer to such a question in the Bible.

I firmly feel that each human that is born of man and woman has a soul and that small spot in them that is reserved for the Holy Spirit. That every person has the feeling that something is left out, they're not fulfilled, until that spot if filled with the Holy Spirit. Many people search, hunt, all their life trying to find that which is fulfilling, trying anything and everything but the one and only thing that will make them complete. In fact the Bible tells us few there be that find the narrow straight gate.

But I don't know if man cloned a human, if it would have that spot within the for God's Holy Spirit or not.

[Revelation3:20]

Identical twins are much the same as a clone would be, still two people.

[Alimantado]

Many of the things that seem controversial about trc123's scenario already happen by themselves. Cloning happens when identical twins are created. The fertilization of an egg in a test tube--what some would call the first stages of a new life--happens in IVF. The growth of an unborn baby apart from its genetic parents happens with surrogacy (a woman carries the child of another couple).

Regardless of whether putting those things together is right or wrong, can we raise questions about the resulting child's humanity without also questioning the humanity of identical twins, children of IVF and children of surrogate mothers?

Nature still trumps the 'wierdness' of cloning in the lab. Some people are 'chimeras': the product of fraternal twin zygotes that have fused very early in development. So a 'chimera' will be a single person made up of cells derived from two different embryos. Some cells will have one DNA set, other cells with have the other. These people look the same as anyone else and a person may never find out that he is a chimera. There was a case a few years ago where two DNA tests on a person yielded two different profiles and it was eventually discovered that the person was a chimera. Now would anyone start questioning whether such an individual was actually two people or have two souls or whatever?

[JerryNumbers]

A set of twins, or even identical twins, that come about with out the help of man, is not comparable to what man does, it has nothing to do with man cloning a person.

God trumps everything, without Him there would be no nature to refer to.

Question about a soul, I actually don't question it, what I said is I don't know, so I am not saying someone cloned would have a soul nor would not have a soul. I have nothing biblical to go by to make such a decision, so I'll leave that up to God.

Man thinks they can figure everything out, the truth is they can't, only God knows everything. Man is limited. But many are trying to play God, thus messing with things they ought to leave alone.

Merry Christmas to all!