Scientists are making great progress in their efforts to grow cells that can become bone, skin, or even rhythmically beating heart cells.  We can take cells from healthy bone and use them to grow millions of cells on a special scaffolding, made in the size and shape of a piece of defective bone.  The scaffolding slowly dissolves in the body, leaving behind a strong new replacement for bone that's been damaged by accident or disease.

Another body part that can be grown for replacement of diseased tissue is the blood vessel.  Blood vessels can be grown from cells taken from the body and fed special growth factors.  A small centimetre piece of blood vessel can generate enough raw material to grow several meters of tough new blood vessels.  Although heart bypass surgery has proved successful, some patients may need repeat operations but not have enough useable blood vessels left to provide the necessary spare parts.  Scientists hope one day to be able to custom build the needed blood vessels in the lab.

The growth of new human skin from a small patch of harvested skin is already saving the lives of burn victims.  The cells from a small sample of skin can now be used to produce dozens of two inch squares of skin which can be grafted onto patients.

So next time you hear of a scientist that's into body building, don't assume they're spending a lot of time working out at the gym.

MOVING BEYOND MATTER
by Debbie Hughes 

Not many decades ago, we would have thought the idea of building body parts belonged to the realm of science fiction - not science.  We have made significant discoveries about the body and how it works at the cellular level.  This new knowledge, along with the technologies that support it, have been used for our benefit: in repairing, replacing and restoring to health damaged or defective tissues within our body.  Furthermore, by harvesting from our own healthy sources, the risk of rejection is averted.  The tissues are compatible.

Yet there are times when this option is neither sufficient nor feasible.  In these situations, artificial implants may be a solution.  They do, of course, run the risk of being rejected by the body since they are made of foreign material.  The rejection of foreign material is a good thing when the object is unwanted, such as a sliver, but works against us in those less frequent circumstances like implantation procedures. 

So most of the time, this ability to sense the presence of foreign tissue works on our behalf.  But occasionally, it works against us because it lacks the ability to discern the foreign object as friendly, helpful and useful to us.

In social and vocational settings, we sometimes reject new ideas, strategies and people because they haven't come from within our system.  They don't feel compatible.  Yet there are occasions when we can truly benefit from their input. 

Throughout history, spiritual influences often known as gods have been seen as set apart from humanity, as foreigners.

But what would happen if God appeared on earth in human form?  Would we recognize Him?  Would we consider Him armed and dangerous?  Would we reject Him?

In the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, this is exactly what Christians believe happened.  And the reactions? Some did recognize Him, others no.  Some saw Him as Saviour, others saw Him as a danger to be eliminated.  Some did reject Him.  Others embraced Him.  Twenty centuries later, people are still responding to the presence of God among us.