Regeneration Facts

• Amputated fingertips of humans can regenerate if the amputation surface is not sutured shut.
• Clones of planaria can be produced by dividing one worm in half, allowing the halves to regenerate two whole worms, then dividing each of these to produce four halves that regenerate, and so on for as many genetically identical worms as you like.
• Lazzaro Spallanzani (1729-1799) conducted the first systematic study of limb and tail regeneration in salamanders. He also disproved the idea of spontaneous generation.
• Plants such as the carrot can regenerate a whole plant from a single cell.
• Regeneration is a theme of ancient Greek mythology. The Hydra was a many-headed monster that regenerated two heads for each one cut off. The god Prometheus stole fire from Mount Olympus for the human species he created. As eternal punishment, Zeus had him chained to a rock where an eagle would peck out his liver during the day, only to have it regenerate each night. Hercules killed the Hydra, and also rescued Prometheus.
• Experiments in the 20th century showed that the liver actually does have the prodigious regenerative capacity described in the legend of Prometheus.