• Question: Would it actually be possible to create a human from different body parts? (like frankenstein)

    Asked by numskullz1000 to Carol, Ellie, John, Philip, Rebecca on 25 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Eleanor Turpin

      Eleanor Turpin answered on 25 Jun 2012:

      Hi numskullz1000,

      I don’t think it’s possible to make a whole person like Frankenstein did because you would not be able to connect the brain with the rest of the body – all the neural connections between our brains and our bodies take years to develop and are unique to each of us.

      However, sucessful organ transplants have been happening since the 1950’s, so there are lots of living people out there using the body parts of other people who have passed away.

    • Photo: Rebecca Lacey

      Rebecca Lacey answered on 26 Jun 2012:

      Hi

      I don’t this would be possible because a big problem would be organ rejection. This is when the immune system of one tissue recognises the tissue from another person as foreign and then tries to attack it. There are two types of rejection: 1) the host tissue rejects the transplanted tissue (known as “transplant rejection”) 2) the transplanted tissue rejects the host (“graft vs host disease). Transplant patients need to take drugs for the rest of their lives to prevent this reaction from happening.

      Creating a human from different sources would not really be an option because of this.

    • Photo: John Welford

      John Welford answered on 27 Jun 2012:

      I agree with Ellie and Rebecca. It’s not currently possible, but I wouldn’t rule it out in the future. Science is getting better all the time at dealing with transplants. There is also loads of great science going on to develop “prosthetics” or artificial body parts. Some of the electromechanical hands and similar that are being made now are really awesome. It is also possible to “rewire” the neural connections to a certain extent, although I think this takes time and a lot of effort.

    • Photo: Carol White

      Carol White answered on 27 Jun 2012:

      I think Ellie and Rebecca have hit the nail on the head there.

      It might not be possible now but science is developing so quickly, it could happen soon. But who says we need to transplant real body parts? Artificial ones are becoming more and more advanced!

Comments