Product of the Cosmos Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 The character wolverine when I was younger was cool. I thought his condition was fiction, although it probably is fully. But there is some truth to its possibility! A nice metal called titanium! Unlike other metals, titanium when put in or next to bone internally for a while fuses with your bone! A vetrinarian dentist in Germany i think it is found this out. So anyone with an open mind, give some ideas how titanium oculd be fused with certain parts of the body to make a metal bone! I'm a naturalist and in the end I wouldnt do this to myself. But its still interesting Keep in mind you cannot cover all your bones unless you figure out some amazing method. You still need a large amount of bone marrow accesable and in function. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atreides Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 I'm wondering if the advantages are worth the disadvantages. For advantages, I guess your bones are stronger, unbreakable? Disadvantages can be pretty significant. Can your muscles cope with the extra weight? Hopefully the bones (and the marrow etc) can keep producing whatever they produce (white/red blood cells etc) and can transfer them through the metal etc. Hopefully nutrients can get to the bones too. Sounds intersting though. Maybe some better use might be capping teeth with metal. If there's a barrier to protect against cavities etc then that's cool. Spreading beauty with my katana. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Product of the Cosmos Posted July 30, 2004 Author Share Posted July 30, 2004 I highly doubt the pros outweight the cons. But I agree.. Its pretty interesting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taks Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 they regularly use titanium as hip replacements, pins in broken bones, etc. my brother has 2 titanium pins in his arm (which he broke about 4 months ago). not really a new thing... taks comrade taks... just because. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Product of the Cosmos Posted July 30, 2004 Author Share Posted July 30, 2004 new? yes this is new. Known at this time, yes. New also, yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taks Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 using titanium is not new. perhaps the discovery of the way the body reacts to it is, however... taks comrade taks... just because. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Product of the Cosmos Posted July 30, 2004 Author Share Posted July 30, 2004 yep. Knowing that it fuses to bone naturally is pretty new. Is amazing to me as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitemithrandir Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 fuses to the bone? what? Uh... we've been using titanium in bone plates and bone screws for years because of its high tensile strength and biocompatibility. Yes, you read it, BIOCOMPATIBILITY. Titanium is completely non-reactive in the body and so far, much safer to use than stainless steel, which has a lower tensile strength. Another reason to use titanium in the body is because of its shape-memory property when combined with some other alloys. The Nickle-titanium-cobalt alloy, for example, can be bent/stretched/compressed in all sorts of ways, but when you heat it to a certain threshold, the metal pops back to its original shape. This property can be very useful to keep pressure on broken bones/such. Unless you're talking about osseous integration, which is due to a high affinity of the titanium to porous tissue. But that's not what wolverine's about. That's just like play-doh pressed over a surface, it naturally tends to stick. The pressure required for this is happen is naturally high, so it happens mostly with dental tissue. Titanium isn't the only metal that exhibits this quality. ALL metals with a low elastic modulus exhibit this property, including lead and copper. No, if you want something that bonds to your bones, Titanium isn't what you're looking for. A mercury-beryllium alloy would work, since it's solid at room temperature but has a comparatively higher melting point than mercury, as well as MUCH lower density. In liquid state, it allows the tissue to abosrb it through diffusion. When it pops back to solid state, yes, it will "fuse" with the bone. Too bad this alloy is deadly toxic to the body (mercury) and kills bone marrow. Word economics To express my vast wisdom I speak in haiku's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diogo Ribeiro Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 *takes notes* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnDoe Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 The character wolverine when I was younger was cool. I thought his condition was fiction, although it probably is fully. But there is some truth to its possibility! Now all I need are claws and the ability to heal instantly. And a yellow spandex suit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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