May 27 2008Finger-Regrowing 'Pixie Dust' Is At It Again
Remember the story we posted about the man who regrew the tip of his finger after having it cut off in a model airplane propeller? Yeah, that guy totally shouldn't have been allowed to work in a hobby store. Well now the infamous "pixie dust" is being used again -- this time in an attempt to regrow a soldier's finger that was lost in a bomb attack.
A key to the research dedicated to regrowing fingers and other body parts is a powder, nicknamed "pixie dust" by some of the people at Brooke Army Medical Center. It's made from tissue extracted from pigs.The surgery is part of a major new medical study of "regenerative medicine" being pursued by the Pentagon and several of the nation's top medical facilities, including the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the Cleveland Clinic. So far nearly $250 million has been dedicated to the research.
Awesome. I guess the only remaining question I have about this treatment is this: How ethical is it to cut off you junx and hope to regrow a bigger one?
Salamander-inspired therapy may aid injured vets [cnn]
Go here if you want to watch a graphic video about the procedure.
Thanks Patrick, lets steal Tinkerbell's fairy dust so we can fly
Reader Comments
1. keiko - May 27, 2008 12:54 PM
As a pre medical student I have this to say:
awesome!
2. 4rt - May 27, 2008 1:39 PM
hhahaha how sad, first thing i thought as well was ..can i cut off ma dick n regrow a bigger one lol?? XD
3. 543sg - May 27, 2008 1:43 PM
u shud hav quoted the nice exaplanation from the moron in the video ... "what am i ? oh a finger.. i hav to do to finger stuff"
4. Redd - May 27, 2008 2:16 PM
I'm totally going to score some of that and cut it into my co-workers stash of blow. Hilarity should ensue... though that cokewhore will probably think god just answered his prayers for a 2nd schnoz to pack full of nose candy.
5. Julian - May 27, 2008 3:52 PM
I wonder if you cut little bits off the sides of your junkasaurus you can get this stuff to grow tiny junkasaurus...es in those missing chunks. . . awesome. It would look like branches on a tree . . . a junk tree. it'll be like that scene from Evil Dead when the tree totally rapes that girl . . . but. . . I guess we all have dreams. (sigh)
6. Brandon - May 27, 2008 8:24 PM
Yeah too bad this stuff was proven to be a hoax.
7. Zumaki - May 27, 2008 9:19 PM
It's a hoax. Either CNN and the US military have been duped, or are trying to pull the wool over our eyes to ease American complaints against the war.
8. Sean - May 28, 2008 1:22 AM
You forgot the best part! This "Pixie Dust" is made from the scraped lining of the pig intestine!
9. guate6 - May 28, 2008 9:29 AM
Ah yes, this pixie dust. If only it were real. Skin grafting is the better/safer way of regenerating 'skin' but other tissues can't be regenerated from this dust. Yes pig stuff is commonly used in medicine (hearts, valves, intestines, etc.) but this dust has had all its enzymes broken down.
Interestingly enough, when I was reading the "regenerative properties" I foresaw the writer talking about getting a bigger member. Score.
10. pamelasm - May 28, 2008 11:40 AM
just the other month sciam had an article on fingertip regeneration. there have been many documented cases that fingertips will grow back if you do not let the doctors close the wound over the stump and clean and dress the wound. if the cut isnt past the first knuckle the fingertip will grow back with same fingerprint, countour and sensation, even without "pixie dust".
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=regrowing-human-limbs&page=4