• Question: @all scientists-If we take Lizard DNA and mix it with our own would we be able to grow back our body parts?

    Asked by albocxdaem to Ed, Hayley, Jason, Nathan, Sophie on 20 Mar 2013.
    • Photo: Jason King

      Jason King answered on 20 Mar 2013:

      Sadly it’s currently impossible to add some new DNA to all your cells at once, so you can’t make a lizard-man. However, how reptiles are able to regenerate so well is really cool and there is a lot of research into how they do it. The hope is that if we can work out what it is about reptiles that gives them that ability, we can somehow make a drug or something that will help us heal.

    • Photo: Hayley Evers-King

      Hayley Evers-King answered on 20 Mar 2013:

      We can’t do it in quite the same way. But scientists have managed to use our own cells in combination with other medicines to grow some new body parts – like bladders! So there’s lots of potential in these sorts of techniques, but as Jason says, it’s complex to regrow a whole limb with multiple different tissue/bone/ligament structures.

      I love the way lizards do this. We have lots of geckos in our house and our cat tries to catch them, but they mostly manage to escape her by shedding their tails, which I tend to find abandoned on the carpet!!

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