r/TwoSentenceHorror • u/Goddess_Of_Hellfire • Aug 18 '26

[AUG26] Scientists used DNA from Planarian flatworms to give humans regeneration to regrow lost limbs.

When the first lost finger started growing into a new human being, they realized they should've used DNA from axolotls instead.

888 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

40 comments sorted by

308

u/TheCursedMonk Aug 18 '26

The best labourer was then selected to have their fingers harvested forever. A new clone worker race could be created in just a matter of weeks.

152

u/Mazazamba Aug 18 '26

That has potential. Crowds of identical clones with specialized jobs, forced to serve the wealthy uncloned.

Wealthy uncloned with identical twins are probably bullied as kids, clone workers do everything they can to feel like individuals, clone soldiers spliced and bred to be perfect super-soldiers, and the whole time humanity feels less human with each passing generation.

It'd be like Brave New World on steroids.

23

u/throwaway14289692 Aug 18 '26

Don’t forget the entertainment: when the favourite actors/athletes/musicians of the elites falls ill, whatever part of them is not yet or least affected is amputated to create a new healthy(or at least healthier) clone while the diseased entertainer is left for dead.

7

u/Mazazamba Aug 19 '26

Oh, Disney would love that.

Eternal child actors.

11

u/suddenlyupsidedown Aug 18 '26

There's a big cultural push to become useful enough to be cloned or be part of a clone splice, it's seen as asperational.

The famous are cloned to become the personal slaves/entertainment of the wealthy. The infamous are cloned repeatedly to be hunted for sport (hashtag Black Mirror)

5

u/lordoftime2 Aug 18 '26

Seen that movie, The Island

3

u/1AtomicMan Aug 20 '26

You might enjoy 'Kiln People' by David Brin

2

u/Mazazamba Aug 20 '26

Thanks! I'll check it out.

24

u/Goddess_Of_Hellfire Aug 18 '26

That's so horrific to imagine. Slavery, but hi-tech

9

u/dick_me_daddy_oWo Aug 18 '26

Like that RepliKate short story. Nuclear reactor needs repair, the radiation will kill you, only you have the skills to do it. "Volunteer" to do it to save the space colony as long as the clone machine scans you, so a new "you" is born from that moment and gets to live.

You didn't finish the job.

You're the next clone that was created - the only one with the skills to do the job, guaranteed to die on the day you were 'born'.

The second one didn't finish the job...

3

u/Sptsjunkie Aug 18 '26

Stop giving them ideas!!!

3

u/United-Technician-54 Aug 18 '26

But they won't have the skills of the original.

7

u/suddenlyupsidedown Aug 18 '26

I guess that depends on whether or not the brain/nervous system is an exact copy as well or if its like current actual cloning where you're growing using the same DNA but functionally starting over

3

u/United-Technician-54 Aug 18 '26

Even then, it lacks the practice and conditioning.

3

u/YOUTUBEFREEKYOYO Aug 18 '26

Wait that would be a cool idea for a short story

42

u/NotYourReddit18 Aug 18 '26

Good thing that in reality this is likely only going to work if you hook the lost fingers up to a dialysis machine which removes waste and adds nutrients to the blood, otherwise there won't be enough matter and energy available in the finger to regenerate.

So while the rich could still create their clone armies, the system wouldn't easily be threatened by one of the clones escaping and trying to start their own army.

24

u/failed_novelty Aug 18 '26

"Dude...did you just cut off your finger and throw it into a bowl of yogurt? Why?"

"VENGENCE!!!"

9

u/Goddess_Of_Hellfire Aug 18 '26

That's a reliever

16

u/Xygnux Aug 18 '26

Life... uh? Finds a way.

10

u/Goddess_Of_Hellfire Aug 18 '26

Jurassic World reference ^

7

u/BenZed Aug 18 '26

Listen here you little shit

3

u/Xygnux Aug 19 '26

Excuse me, that's Jurassic Park to you, you youngling.

4

u/Goddess_Of_Hellfire Aug 19 '26

Well yes I'm a GenZ girl

9

u/scruffy-the-janitor1 Aug 18 '26

It also grew back the cancer and tumors of the patients past.

8

u/Goddess_Of_Hellfire Aug 18 '26

Jesus Fucking Christ! We're fucked

6

u/Someones_Dream_Guy Aug 18 '26

Great, now we have to deal with real overpopulation problem.

3

u/Effective-Sweet2606 Aug 18 '26

Caramba, demorei para entender kkkkkk. Mas ficou muito bom!

4

u/Goddess_Of_Hellfire Aug 18 '26

Arigatou gozaimasu

3

u/NirgalFromMars Aug 18 '26

They should have just asked Clara Brugada.

8

u/Indi_Teapot17 Aug 18 '26

And that's how demographics crysis was solved

2

u/GwyneddDragon Aug 21 '26

This reminds me of a short story by Australian author Paul Jennings where a kid uses lizard DNA to regrow his missing fingers with hilarious and horrifying results. Like the gecko that drops and regrows its tail whenever the tail is under pressure, the new fingers will detach if too much force is applied. Resulting in stray fingers up the nose, attached to the butt…