Growing a human tail?

Would you grow a tail if you could have one?

  • Yes, tails are awesome.

    Votes: 35 52.2%

  • No, I'm quite happy being tail-less.

    Votes: 32 47.8%
  • Total voters
    67
Is it dangerous?

BigHand said:
First, congratulations for having such a concrete wish.

Here are some ideas that might help you if you find the resources to put them into action.

From the many lines of research that may exist for growing a tail, I can think of the following two.

1. Changing your genetic code (is this Dangerous?)
2. Transplanting a nice tail (is THIS dangerous?)
I WANNA KNOW

Now the explanation, starting from the short one. All the information is based on scientific papers or news, and some websites that look well established. I will not discuss here any ethical issue. I will not always use scientific terminology but also informal expressions.

1. Changing your genetic code

Ih the genetic code of humans there is the same information a mouse has to grow a tail, with the difference that in humans this code is not activated.
I think you have already got the picture: Change the genetic code in order to activate it, to define the characteristics of the tail (you wouldn't want a mouse tail), and to make the tail grow fast to match your age and size.

2. Transplanting a tail

Background and main issues to consider

Currently, it is possible to do transplants between species (xenotransplantation: interspecies transplantation), including humans. Examples of transplants to humans include skin, bone marrow, neurons, kidneys, and so on, mostly from monkeys and pigs.

Two big problems with these transplants so far are organ rejection and the viruses from the donor.

The problem of organ (or even blood) rejection could be approached by changing part of the genetic code or the organ characteristics of the donor to make it closer to that of the human. Some examples are monkeys with human blood and mice with nervous system totally human.

The problem of viruses from the donor is more complicated. It is well known by researchers that pigs have a virus that is passed to the human body when some organ, skin or neurons are transplanted. This virus (PERV) so far has not caused any damage to human, but there is no guarantee that it will be safe for any human genetic code. I do not want to frighten you, but I need you to know the magnitude of the issue: the worst scenario is that this virus might combine with human genetic information and evolve into a new form of HIV that could cause an outbreak.

Moreover, not all animal viruses are known, so there is always a risk of finding something when it is too late.

It is easy to understand why this kind of research does not progress as fast as it could, but let's continue.

Other issues to solve

Besides the above two problems, you will need to consider the bones, muscles and nerves to control the tail.

Only human fetuses and very few documented cases (around 30 so far) of human babies show a tail. The "instructions" for the fetus to lose the tail before birth are determined in the womb. I do not find easy to "reverse" these instructions in an adult like you, so you do not have a tail and also do not know how to move one because you are not supposed to have it. On the other hand, as far as I have read, the tail in babies does not have bones, and in some cases it does not have muscles.

Most big mammals, from cats to horses, have bones in their long tails, that give them stability and allows the tails to do some useful functions. So you might want to have bones, muscles and nerves in the tail.

Potential solutions

Some researchers consider that the tailbone in humans is the remain of the tail lost in evolution. If damaged, the tailbone can be removed with minor or no effect for the patient. Therefore it might be possible to remove the tail bone and connect the transplanted tail to the other vertebrae and to the nervous system in this place.

In some experiments with birds, researches have found that transplanting neurons from a species to a different one, the second one can "learn" abilities from the donor. So you may opt to have some neurons from the tail donor transplanted in your brain in order to learn how to control the tail you will also receive.


Proposal of experiments

Animals
Get at least two species of animals, one being that of the donor you choose.
It will also help to have at least two breeds of the donor species.

For the sake of the explanation, let suppose you chose the donor to be a dog.

You will need two breeds of dogs, and another species, which can be rabbits, monkeys, pigs or a combination. I will explain the reasons below.

Data collection
Do X-ray CT or MRI scans to the animals to understand the anatomy of the bones and nerves.
Do fMRI, PET or SPECT scans to determine where are the neurons that "control" the tail movement in every species.

Experiment options
a) Transplant the tails between dog breeds, to confirm that all necessary data to do at least this have been collected.
b) Transplant the tail of the donor breed dogs and some neurons to
- rabbits. You can verify if the rabbits can learn to move a totally different tail
- pigs. Same reason than above, and better understanding of pig's characteristics.
- monkeys (without tail). Same reasons than above. Their brain is closer to human's than that of the other species.

Bioengineering work
"Inject" the genetic code of the donor dog breed into that of the other species to avoid rejection.
"Inject" the neurons that control the tail from the donor dog breed into the brains of the other species to "transfer the knowledge."

Xenotransplantation to human
If all the transplantations suggested above are successful (no rejection or illness in at least 6 months, and good control of the tail), congratulations!
Your turn to make your wish true will come.

Good luck.
Click to expand...
is this all dangerous (once again)
 
It is never going to happen. In any case, it would be much more beneficial to develop 12 fingers, for example.
 
Mouse88 said:
My question is what's the use of a tail?
Click to expand...
  • Balance. Aerialists use a pole to adjust their center of gravity when they're walking on a high wire. If you had a tail you could be the next Flying Wallenda.
  • Cantilevering. Dinosaurs with long necks had long tails. I don't know if this has been proven untrue since I learned it, but I was taught that when a brontosaurus had his head down his tail was pointing up and vice versa. One long connected series of muscles, otherwise the leverage would be impossible to generate.
  • Grabbing. Opossums hang by their tails, monkeys use theirs as a fifth hand. Snakes are 100% tail and they can go practically anywhere.
ScaryMonster said:
A prehensile tail would be very useful. I’m not exactly sure why humans and apes lost their tails.
Click to expand...
You mean "humans and the other apes." We are all hominids, and our closest relatives are the two species of chimpanzee, the bonobo and the "true" chimpanzee.

Apes are not as arboreal as monkeys. They spend less time in the trees so they just don't need the extra hardware.

One primatologist (Tetsuro Matsuzawa) insists that anatomically the key difference between a human and a chimpanzee is that we can lie comfortably on our backs. The other apes can't do it without one arm or leg being off the ground. If we had a tail we couldn't do that. Notice how few animals actually can.

This ability is what made it possible to evolve face-to-face as our standard copulation posture. This (AFAIK) makes us unique among all the warm-blooded animals, creating a sense of intimacy that they can't achieve. I wouldn't be surprised if some female animals can't be quite sure they know exactly who's back there!

I can't resist asking whether you guys really want a whole tail, or just a piece. ;)
 
Tail

I've always wanted a tail like the saiyans do in DBZ, I want one because it would help make me diffrent. but i dont want to turn into Oozaru (Giant ape)on a full moon. i figured that if you dont want your tail to hang down you could wrap it around your waist like they did in DBZ or if your wearing jeans you could put your tail through your jeans like a belt perhaps. in DBZ it was higher up on on the tailbone around the waist. and they kept it there or hanging. for me when i go to sleep i sleep on my stomach or side so it doesnt matter to me anyway.:shrug: but i really wish for a tail. Thats how i ended up here:idea:
 
There are a number of points regarding this idea. They can be grouped as issues preventing gaining a tail, ways to get a tail, problems with each method of getting a tail, and implications of having a tail.

Roadblocks to Getting a Tail
1) Genetically, humans lack the genes that code for a tail at the base of the spine.
2) Humans have no experience using a tail.
3) Humans lack the ability to function with a tail.
4) Humans lack the control to handle a tail.

Ways to Get a Tail
1) Surgically implanting a tail at the base of the spine (grafted on)
2) using a prosthetic tail at the base of the spine (prostheses have advanced significantly)
3) injecting stem cells "programmed" to become a tail
4) wear a fake tail (fairly popular with furries)

Problems with Each Method of Getting a Tail
1) This does not, necessarily, allow for a functioning tail.
2) Prosthetic limbs do require a learning period. They also do not always fit properly. Some can even become unreliable over time.
3) Stem cell research is far from complete. It is also a very controversial field of bio-science.
4) This method does not really give you a tail. Any furry can tell you it is superficial at best. The point of having a tail for those of us who really want one is to actually have a tail, not merely strap one on. ;)

Implications of Having a Tail
1) you would get odd looks from people
2) it might be difficult to sleep as you normally would
3) as tails have fur, it would require additional cleaning on par with very long hair
4) the tail could help you balance better
5) Furries would feel closer to their animal side.

All that aside, I think it would be awesome to have a real tail.
 
Well it looks as though we most likely have everything we need to have such a thing done...the question is, where do we start? Who do we go to for such an operation?
 
What would happen if a human took Wolf Hormones. I can't find any research on it. thought id ask. I really would like to see what wolf hormones have to offer or what aspects it would give a human.
 
I have an idea on how, but I believe it would involve surgery. Okay, well, you know how like, if someone lost their arm, they could get a new robotic one? I thought that if instead of creating a leg or arm or something, you could create a robotic tail. The fur, because just having a robotic limb above your butt would look weird, cover the limb in rubber then use like, that stuff they use for barbies hair to create a fur pattern. Everyone is making this quite complicated and hasn't considered this. I don't know if it would work, but I think it's worth a shot!
 
protoborg said:
1) Genetically, humans lack the genes that code for a tail at the base of the spine.
2) Humans have no experience using a tail.
3) Humans lack the ability to function with a tail.
4) Humans lack the control to handle a tail.
Click to expand...

Humans are sometimes born with tails. We have the genes for it and when so equipped we can move them.

=============
Hum Pathol. 1984 May;15(5):449-53.
Human tails and pseudotails.
Dao AH, Netsky MG.
Abstract

A case of a tail in a 2-week-old infant is reported, and findings from a review of 33 previously reported cases of true tails and pseudotails are summarized. The true, or persistent, vestigial tail of humans arises from the most distal remnant of the embryonic tail. It contains adipose and connective tissue, central bundles of striated muscle, blood vessels, and nerves and is covered by skin. Bone, cartilage, notochord, and spinal cord are lacking. The true tail arises by retention of structures found normally in fetal development. It may be as long as 13 cm, can move and contract, and occurs twice as often in males as in females. A true tail is easily removed surgically, without residual effects. It is rarely familial. Pseudotails are varied lesions having in common a lumbosacral protrusion and a superficial resemblance to persistent vestigial tails. The most frequent cause of a pseudotail in a series of ten cases obtained from the literature was an anomalous prolongation of the coccygeal vertebrae.
===========================
 
Nardicko said:
What would happen if a human took Wolf Hormones. I can't find any research on it. thought id ask. I really would like to see what wolf hormones have to offer or what aspects it would give a human.
Click to expand...
Wolf!!? It should be FOX!!! But I guess if you like stuff like that… ;)
 
Wouldnt it be possible to trick the mind into thinking it had a tail and lost it, so when the regenerative medicine comes along, it would heal the tail, making a whole new tail with the genetic code and understanding how to use it?
 
But then we would have to redesign all our chairs and toilets.
 
Roman: In your Post # 4 you expressed a desire for functional wings. It reminds me of a Scifi story about a woman in a very advanced culture who wanted a flying horse ala the Greek myth about Pegasus.

The genetic engineer asked
do you want a horse capable of flying or an animal which looks like the mythical Pegasus.
Click to expand...
There ensued an argument because the woman did not understand that a horse which could fly would not look much like the creature in Greek mythology.

Similarly, if you wanted functional wings, you would not look much like a normal human being.

You would need monster sized pectoral muscles & perhaps other adjustments to your body, like thinner thighs to reduce body weight, & a wider torso to accommodate the huge pectoral muscles. If you wanted functional arms as well as functional wings, there would be some design problems relating to two sets of pectoral-like muscles.

BTW: It is interesting to note that there are no vertebrates with 6 limbs.

An additional set of functional limbs requires quite a bit of extra brain & extra nervous system components for little, if any, extra capabilities.

Evolution is not likely to result in a creature like the mythical centaur anywhere in the universe. Note that quadrupeds originated as having 4 legs until the evolution of primates.

A 6-legged creature would not be able to run faster than a 4-legged creature & would require extra energy intake & nervous system components.

Note that insects with more than 4 legs do not have much independent control of their limbs like vertebrate capabilities.
 
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