Marvel’sWolverineis not only one of the most popularX - Menbut one of the most durable - andhis legendary healing factor , far from a far - fetched comic invention , can in reality be explained by scientific discipline . Logan ’s mutant powers let him to survive nearly any wound , and his additional mutations make him the consummate huntsman , fighter and survivalist . But New - day skill reveals the key to Wolverine ’s mutant ability : stem cell .

Science and Marvel comics rarely mix ; the X - Men alone possess a all-encompassing array of powers that would make a science teacher throw up their hands in despair and bemusement . Angel lacks the proper wingspread to allow flight ; Shadowcat can phase through zephyr yet breather easily ; Iceman can turn his intact body to ice even in warm area . Occasionally , science offer a desperate explanation for one mutant , but then other mutant such as Chamber ruin all know laws of the cosmos but by existing . But in the case of Wolverine , his reduced aging is a major clue to the real secret behind his healing abilities .

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While the version of the character inEarth 616 ( the mainline Marvel universe ) can not resurrect from a unmarried cellular telephone ( unlike theUltimateMarvel random variable ) , Wolverine can regrow gargantuan wounds and integral limb easy . Occasionally , this requires Wolverine to eat a howling amount of kilogram calorie , but that does not explain the method of rapid regeneration , only the agency . Human cell , like the cell of all being , perpetually separate , but when they make theHayflick Limit , cell segmentation is unacceptable . Wolverine ’s cell clearly have no Hayflick Limit - but why ?

Stem Cells Are The Key To Wolverine’s Mutant Power

Every time a cell divides , thetelomeres- caps on either end of a chromosome - grow shorter and short , eventually withering away completely . root word cells have no Hayflick Limit ; they can part a ostensibly - multitudinous number of time , compared to a regular human cadre ’s limit of 50 . It is entirely possible thatevery cellular telephone in Wolverine ’s body is a bow cell ; this also accounts forWolverine ’s drastically irksome age process(he is over 200 years former and is likely in his 30s or 40 ) . While the stem cells do not provide an explanation for his enhanced senses , they certainly provide one for his healing .

Of naturally , comic book pseudoscience still dominate the roost here ; Wolverine can recover from bullet wounds inseconds , something even a body full of stem cells can not accomplish given our current understanding . While the distant future may not allow humans to recover from shotgun blasts as easily as a bruise genu , it may be potential toreplicate Wolverine ’s healing element over timeand even turn back the clock on human aging . Giving his unequaled physiology , Wolverinewill hold fast around long enough to see these developments happen ; he clearly is n’t going anywhere .

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Wolverine Healing Factor power Difference over time comics

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