The phrase "I could give a rat's ear" takes on a whole new meaning, thanks to a recent discovery by Japanese scientists.
For the first time, according to I f--king love science, researchers in Japan were able to successfully grow an adult-sized "living" ear on the back of a rat using human stem cells. The research group from the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University has also claimed that human trials could begin in just five years.
![A Human Ear Has Been Grown In A Rat]()
How did they do it? Well, according to Japan Today, they filled a plastic tube with a diameter of about 3 millimeters with human-induced pluripotent stem cell balls. Using three such tubes, the researchers shaped a human ear and implanted it onto the back of a rat.
In about two months, the tubes dissolved, leaving behind on the animal's back what looks like a 5-centimeter human ear.
For the first time, according to I f--king love science, researchers in Japan were able to successfully grow an adult-sized "living" ear on the back of a rat using human stem cells. The research group from the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University has also claimed that human trials could begin in just five years.
How did they do it? Well, according to Japan Today, they filled a plastic tube with a diameter of about 3 millimeters with human-induced pluripotent stem cell balls. Using three such tubes, the researchers shaped a human ear and implanted it onto the back of a rat.
In about two months, the tubes dissolved, leaving behind on the animal's back what looks like a 5-centimeter human ear.