The scientists – led by, Prof. Paul Sharpe, a specialist in the field of regenerative dentistry at the Dental Institute of King’s College, London – also claim to have successfully tested the technique in mice. Based on The Guardian‘s article, however, it seems that although Sharpe’s team can coax the stem cells to become a tooth, they can’t force it to become a specific kind of tooth, like a molar or an incisor. Still, this is an amazing breakthrough.  Bad news for the tooth fairy. And for people who make dentures.

[via Neatorama]

The experiment was conducted by dermatologist Emi Nishimura in 2004. She exposed mice (their hair also grays with age) to genotoxic stressors – things that can damage our DNA – such as  chemotherapy drugs and x-rays. The hair of the mice turned gray, and as Nishimura said, “the stressed mice’s gray hairs and the cell populations in their follicles were indistinguishable from those of elderly mice, suggesting that genotoxic stress might drive natural graying as well.”

So what does all of this mean? Oncologist David Fisher says that while it’s very strong evidence that the things we encounter everyday – radiation from the sun, household chemicals, perhaps even the medicine we take – can all damage us at a genetic level, the experiment doesn’t prove that emotional stress can damage our DNA or induce premature maturation of our cells.

More importantly, the experiment shows that to some extent our body is capable of protecting itself from DNA-damaged cells by accelerating their aging. Fisher thinks that the experiment is a good starting point to find ways for our body to do the same to cancer cells – which are also DNA-damaged cells.

[via Science]