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Posted

Sharks can regrow their teeth and numerous other animals have similar capabilities. Do you think it is possible for scientists to identify this gene in sharks then integrate those genes into humans so we can regrow our own teeth?

Posted

gene splicing could be very dangerous and could create a whole host of new diseases and mutations. it would be better to locate the genes that cause our cells to divide and replace damaged tissue and tweek them to act faster and last longer. this would also slow the aging process. such theories are already on the board,and private R&D is already being done with government grants. one report estimated that by 2035 we could begin using the measures that would allow humans to look and feel like they were in their 20's for a thousand years or more. conservatives scream about moral issues and overpopulation,but the research moves forward. this research could also find ways to reverse things like alzheimers and parkinsons disease...

Posted

its probably down to more than one gene, which may be specifically based on the unique products of other shark genes, and desighned to produce a regenerative effect which is timed correctly to work in a sharks mouth, and using chemicals that are present in the sharks diet etc.

 

in other words, i doubt its as simple as transfering one gene across.

Posted

Well, I have actually regenerated like 2 teeth. You probably won't believe it, but yeah. When I was 8, the dentist said that under my first molar (which was a baby tooth at the time), I had no adult tooth. Well, about 5 years later, the tooth that they said had no adult tooth under it began to loosen and fell out. The dentist was astonished.

 

A year later, the same tooth was loose again. It wasn't rotting, I keep very good care of my teeth. A couple weeks later, it fell out to yet another tooth. I am 16 now and am starting to feel it loosen again. I dunno what is going on, but more money for me... :)

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

Some guy on an another forum was telling me how he lost his teeth twice, and so had 3 sets of teeth all together. Apparently his dad, uncle, grandfather and some other males on his dads side of this family all shared this trait. Totally anecdotal, cannot confirm, but neat anyway. No harm in a little teeth replacement now and again.

Posted
No harm in a little teeth replacement now and again.

 

Maybe, or maybe not. One has to wonder why mammals lost the infinite sets of teeth of their reptilian ancestors. Maybe it was just chance, but maybe there's also some selective pressure, a subtle one, that prevents such regeneration. Like perhaps such regenrative capacity also leads to increased susceptibility to various bone (or other)cancers?

 

Mokele

Posted
. One has to wonder why mammals lost the infinite sets of teeth of their reptilian ancestors.

Mokele

 

 

I've wondered that too, especially for mammalian herbivore, whose teeth are worn down so progressively. I have read from several sources that the most common NATURAL (excluding human influences) cause of death for elephants is simply reaching old age with their teeth worn down so far that they can no longer eat enough to sustain themselves. It definitely seems like replacement teeth would be an advantage, but maybe that never evolved since the senescence occurs after their peak reproductive years?

  • 9 months later...

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