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The John Batchelor Show

Replaceable You: Skin Grafts, Bioprinting Organs, and the Science of Replacement Anatomy. Mary Roach discusses how third-degree burns destroy regenerative cells, causing severe disfigurement unless patched with allografts (temporary substitutes like cadav

The John Batchelor Show

John Batchelor

Society & Culture, Arts, News, Books

4.52.8K Ratings

🗓️ 18 October 2025

⏱️ 7 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Replaceable You: Skin Grafts, Bioprinting Organs, and the Science of Replacement Anatomy. Mary Roach discusses how third-degree burns destroy regenerative cells, causing severe disfigurement unless patched with allografts (temporary substitutes like cadaver or cod skin). Researchers are attempting to 3D print organs, currently in the "Wright Brothers stage," using specialized bio-ink and support gel. Xenotransplantation involves genetically editing pigs to grow human organs (chimerism) that the body would accept without rejection.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Building a coffee business?

0:02.0

Serving the best Americano in town is up to you.

0:04.0

But winning back time and growing your business,

0:06.0

leave that to sum-up.

0:07.0

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0:10.0

Turn occasional customers into regulars with a free loyalty program.

0:13.0

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0:15.0

you'll always know when you're running low on your best-selling blends.

0:18.0

Visit sumup.co.uk to learn more.

0:29.3

I'm John Betts with Mary Roach, the author, and her new book is Replaceable You.

0:35.9

It's futuristic. It's also at the same time heartening for those who've had surgery and concern themselves with their appearance afterwards.

0:39.3

We come now to donors, that is, the widow and the children of a deceased coal miner, for example,

0:46.9

or any gentleman or mother who's gone. What do you need to know about what the needs are and what happens? Let's start with

0:56.0

the eyes, Mary. They need eyes from cadavers. You can actually replace a human eye with a human eye

1:03.8

of a deceased person. Is that correct? The cornea. No, no one is transplanting entire eyes.

1:13.1

And the eye, the optic nerve is, it's really part of the brain.

1:18.1

So it's, it would be a, that's, that's a tricky one to replace.

1:22.5

But the cornea, which is the very, very thin layer on the exterior of the eye, which can be removed and can be

1:31.1

transplanted.

1:33.5

There are certain diseases.

1:35.0

Fuchs dystrophy is one of them where a corneal transplant is the most common treatment

1:42.8

for that.

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