Zombie Mice
A while back I came across an article on zombie dogs - dogs whose blood was drained and replaced with a supersaline solution to put the body in stasis. Supposedly the technology was being developed so humans who were bleeding to death could be stabilized in that manner, then "brought back to life" by swapping the solution for blood once the conditions were more favorable.
But I digress. What I wanted to talk about today were these zombie mice. This time, scientists have created "miracle mice" that can regenerate amputated limbs or vital organs. Even better, when cells from the test mice were injected into normal mice, those too acquired the ability. While my good friend kuku_hara remains skeptical (are each indivual cell "stem" cells that can grow back specific parts, e.g. if part of the head is blown off, will the cells be able to regenerate eyes / ears / noses?), imagine the implications on human development! If you think about it, not so long ago, heart transplants were a subject of fantasy.
It's certainly an exciting time to be in. I should post more science news, they're some of the most interesting things I come across.
[edit: Okay, so they're not really zombie mice, but the title sounds cooler this way.]
It's a miracle: mice regrow hearts [The Australian]