Skip to main content

marvel - Do Wolverine's cells ever die?


Wolverine has a prodigious healing factor, but does this mean that none of his cells ever die?


A lot of human cells naturally die and are replaced, such as hair and skin. Not to mention red blood cells that are then absorbed by the spleen.


Do those cells that normally die off to be replaced ever die in Wolverine?



Answer



Yes, Wolverine's body functions very much like our own in regard to his basic physical processes. He will likely lose cells at the same rate as we do, when he is not in an accelerated regenerative state. But the curious nature of his cells makes his physical existence quite different than ours.



Wolverine's cells:



  • possess the power to rapidly regenerate in seconds what would be days for humans

  • can regenerate without needing new mass or energy for the process (?)

  • can regenerate even if he is reduced to little more than a pile of burned adamantium on the ground, as long as any surviving organic tissue remains he will be completely regrown. (with a corresponding loss of memory)

  • His cells function like super stem cells, able to take on whatever form is needed in his reconstructed body, so nerve cells and brain cells (which are almost never replaced in the human body) are able to be regrown as well.


So given the curious nature of his cellular process, would his cells die like normal cells?


In humans, our body can replace every cell in our bodies, (save nervous cells) in a period of seven years, give or take. We lose skin daily, stomach lining cells hourly, and our tongue can be scalded by hot coffee and recover in a week.


His body, given the amount of abuse it suffers, would likely perform in a fashion similar to our own EXCEPT where extraordinary stresses would require it.



For example:



  • He does not lose brain cells to alcohol poisoning, so he rarely gets drunk.

  • He might suffer a burned tongue from a sip of hot coffee, but his next drink will be with a tongue that has regenerated between each swig.

  • minor physical inconveniences (hangnails, kidney stones, paper cuts) have no meaning in his existence and are likely repaired in the time it takes for us to acknowledge they happened in the first place.

  • Even slow acting poisons are in a race with his body's ability to recover from injury

  • He does not develop cancer, as every cell is his body perfectly replicates whichever form was in existence before, including the mutant link to the source of his powers.


Here are some other articles on the Scifi.StackExchange about Wolverine's healing abilities which offer links, images and resources for the detail-oriented.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

game of thrones - Is Syrio Forel dead?

In the episode 'The Pointy End' (Season 1 Episode 8) when Arya runs from the Lannister guards you hear the sound of a sword being dropped (around 4:56): [embedded content] After that neither Syrio or Ser Meryn Trant is never mentioned or seen in the show again, except when Arya mentions to the Hound that Ser Meryn Trant killed Syrio. Is there any mention in the books that Syrio actually dies?
Post a Comment
Read more

tolkiens legendarium - Difference between elves and dwarves blacksmithing in the Lord of the Rings

Both the elves and the dwarves were famous for their metal work in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but what is the difference between what they made, and which one had the better skill of making amours and swords? Answer James Christopher's answer sums up the second part of your question well, but as to the difference in what they made, a little more detail is needed. Once the Elves learned to forge with steel, the shape of the sword changed, now being able to take on the form of a great broadsword or a light and agile curved sword. Additionally, they took great pride in decorating their swords. As we see in the Lord of the Rings , some swords like Sting had magical properties such as glowing blue when orcs are near. As far as the use of Mithril, lotr.wikia has two contradictory passages: Thus, Elven blades became renowned as great weapons, capable of performing deeds beyond the skill of their handlers and were even more glorious when the use of Mithril was allowed to the Elves. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How do Pokemon trainers collect their winnings?

According to Bulbapedia , Prize money is the money that a Trainer pays out at the end of a battle. So we know that the money comes directly from the trainer that just lost, and not some third-party committee or sponsor. But how is this done? It can be easy seeing the random trainers who challenge you along the way wanting to wager and then, after admitting defeat, sticking to their word and handing over their hard-earned pokebucks. Then there are the likes of Team Rocket and Giovanni, who also give money once they lose. This doesn't seem like something people in a criminal organization would willingly do. From this it appears that trainers have no say in whether or not they cough up the dough after losing, but I can't find anything on how exactly the funds are transferred from loser to winner. So how do Pokemon trainers receive their winnings?
Post a Comment
Read more