Posted on 07/30/2013 10:25:53 AM PDT by Red Badger
Scientists have grown rudimentary teeth out of the most unlikely of sources, human urine.
The results, published in Cell Regeneration Journal, showed that urine could be used as a source of stem cells that in turn could be grown into tiny tooth-like structures.
The team from China hopes the technique could be developed into a way of replacing lost teeth.
Other stem cell researchers caution that that goal faces many challenges.
Teams of researchers around the world are looking for ways of growing new teeth to replace those lost with age and poor dental hygiene.
Stem cells - the master cells which can grow into any type of tissue - are a popular area of research.
The group at the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health used urine as the starting point.
Cells which are normally passed from the body, such as those from the lining of the body's waterworks, are harvested in the laboratory. These collected cells are then coaxed into becoming stem cells.
A mix of these cells and other material from a mouse was implanted into the animals.
"You just wouldn't do it in this way” Prof Chris Mason University College London
The researchers said that after three weeks the bundle of cells started to resemble a tooth: "The tooth-like structure contained dental pulp, dentin, enamel space and enamel organ."
However, the "teeth" were not as hard as natural teeth.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
Not at all. I meant a joke, d’uh! As in ‘humour’.
"I've had this taste in my mouth before."
First - it powered cell phones
Now - it grows new teeth.
Is there anything that pee can’t do?
Maybe they’re just growing kidney stones.
You see, once you assume that people know the difference between a Hill and a Hinn, and I assume that everybody does, then you can see that by confusing the two somebody is intending to make a joke.
Alas, on the Internet so many people so often assume that others are just stupid and uninformed. Pity.
I bet she’s quite popular............
I’m gonna need a longer straw!
We’ll all know it’s HUGH and SERIES when Doctor Oz goes on Oprah to sell us some of this urine.
British Health Services.
I coulda told.
This won’t help everyone with lost teeth. Unfortunately, they could only grow urincisors and pisdom teeth.
So much for $hiteating grin.
Just wait till they start using the brown stuff.......
They should call them, "Peeth."
“Doc, look, about this new mouthwash...”
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