What have we ear?

Remember the mouse with an ear grafted on to its back (see here at abc or here at CNN if you don’t remember him? Opinions were divided as to whether this was a violation of nature or a big leap for science. I was definitely in the big-leap camp, as it was evidence of scientists growing capabilities at growing body parts in laboratories. An Australian artist called Stelios Arcadiou (or Stelarc as he is known), has shown his support for the new technology in a slightly disturbing way. He has convinced a surgeon to graft a new lab-grown ear onto his arm. Apparently, he initially wanted to get the ear grafted onto his head, but nobody would perform the op. So he opted to put it on his arm instead. Says Stelarc “I think art should be more than simply illustrating ideas”. Indeed.

See BBC News for a pic of the arm and the ear.