--- title: "Scientists Say They’ve Invented a Serum That Activates a Dormant Ability to Regrow Lost Limbs in Mammals" description: "A new study out of Texas A&M found a long-dormant ability for mamals, including humans, to potentialy regrow limbs." date: "2026-05-16" modified: "2026-05-16" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/health-medicine/scientists-serum-regrow-limbs-mammals" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Studies" --- # Scientists Say They’ve Invented a Serum That Activates a Dormant Ability to Regrow Lost Limbs in Mammals ![A human arm and hand extended with fingers slightly curved, digitally colorized in blue and red tones, set against a vibrant orange background with a large purple circle behind the hand.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Getty Images* For millennia — since at least the [time of Aristotle]() — medical thinkers have pondered why certain animals like salamanders are able to regrow entire lost limbs, while mammals like us humans have to make due without any appendages we've lost. Now, researchers at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences say they may have cracked the code. In a new study published [in the journal *Nature Communications*](), they detail a process they say causes bones, joints, and ligaments to regenerate in mammals which otherwise would not be able to regrow tissue. Basically, the researchers used a two-step process that mimics the way regenerative animals such as salamanders regrow lost tissue after amputation. They pull it off via a process known as epimorphic regeneration, in which lost limbs are first covered by a layer of skin cells. Local cells then rearrange themselves into a blastema, a temporary structure that forms the base-layer for the rest of the limb. By controlling this limb-loss process with a specially-engineered serum that sends signals to cells, researchers found they can encourage the growth of a blastema in mammals: lab mice, in this case. "This is really a two-step process," Ken Muneoka, one of the authors of the study, [said in a press release](). "You first shift the cells away from scarring, and then you provide the signals that tell them what to build." Unlike typical regenerative approaches which use external stem cells, this newly-uncovered process uses the cells that are locally available. As Muneoka put it: "they're already there — you just need to learn how to get them to behave the way you want." While the process isn't perfect, scientists hope it can help reduce scarring and encourage tissue regeneration after traumatic injuries. Either way, study co-author Larry Suva said the findings change our understanding of mammalian healing, which has particularly fascinating implications for humans. "The cells that we thought to be unprogrammable, in fact are," Suva said. "The capacity is not absent — it's just obscured." **More on limbs:** *[Body Horror Robot Turns Human Into Centaur]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()