25. Explaining stem cells to Cartman, what did the researcher say they'd regrown for their experimental rat?
From Quiz "South Park" - "Kenny Dies"
Answer:
spine
Cartman was trying to find a way to save Kenny and returned to Alder Research Group:
Cartman: "Doctor, can you tell me exactly how stem cells work?"
Researcher: "Look, you have trillions of cells in your body: heart cells, skin cells, brain cells, and so on. But before a cell is designated as a toenail cell or a pancreas cell, it's what we call a stem cell. Sort of like a blank cell. Do you understand?"
Cartman: "Not at all, but go on."
Researcher: ""Because these cells are blanks, they will often program themselves based on what cells you put around them. You see this rat? Earlier this year, we surgically removed the middle of her spine. Then we injected her with some stem cells and they became the missing part of her spine."
Cartman: "My God..."
Researcher: "Nerve cells damaged by Parkinson's disease or heart tissue of cardiac patients might ultimately be replaced by tissue grown from stem cells."
Cartman: "So then, could stem cells be used on someone whose muscle tissue is wasting away? In other words, if a little boy was dying from a muscular disease, the stem cells could become new muscle tissue."
Researcher: "That's the theory."
Cartman: "Well, so then, if the stem cells are placed next to a Shakey's Pizza, they would become another Shakey's Pizza! And you'd have your own Shakey's Pizza where you didn't have to charge yourself to eat!"
Researcher: "Well, no. To build another Shakey's it would be better to use lumber."