SCIENTISTS have created "miracle mice" that can regenerate amputated limbs or damaged vital organs, making them able to recover from injuries that would kill or permanently disable normal animals. The experimental animals are unique among mammals in their ability to regrow their heart, toes, joints and tail. And when cells from the test mice are injected into ordinary mice, they too acquire the ability to regenerate, the US-based researchers say.

These discoveries raise the prospect that humans could one day be given the ability to regenerate lost or damaged organs, opening up a whole new era in medicine.