Okay, let’s try to get through this together. A few months ago, a bunch of researchers from London’s King’s College grew a full set of “human/mouse” hybrid teeth using human stem cells from gum tissue and mouse kidneys. At the time, I called it the “most unnerving study ever.” Well, because science hates us all and apparently wants us to barf forever, here’s new research from the Chinese Academy of Sciences that adds a little good ol’ fashioned pee pee to the mix.
From New Scientist:
Duanqing Pei from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Guangzhou and colleagues took stem cells from human urine and used them to grow teeth inside mouse kidneys. The stem cells were mixed with mouse connective tissue cells and grown for two days before being implanted under the outer layer of the mouse’s kidney. There they transformed into dental epithelial tissue, which develops into the enamel, while the rest of each tooth was formed from mouse cells.
The genetically engineered chompers are also apparently “a bit softer than real teeth,” which somehow makes them even grosser. Moving on, nothing else to add here. Let’s talk about this instead.
