Can You Keep Donating and Regrowing Your Liver?

Fun Fact: people can donate over half of their liver, and the tissue will grow back within a year! Knowing that, it seems pretty logical to assume that we could just keep donating and regrowing our livers over and over again, but is that really the case?

Special Thanks: Dr. George Michalopoulos, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Medical Center

Hosted by: Hank Green

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Dooblydoo thanks go to the following Patreon supporters: Jerry Perez, Lazarus G, Kelly Landrum Jones, Sam Lutfi, Kevin Knupp, Nicholas Smith, D.A. Noe, alexander wadsworth, سلطان الخليفي, Piya Shedden, KatieMarie Magnone, Scott Satovsky Jr, Charles Southerland, Bader AlGhamdi, James Harshaw, Patrick D. Ashmore, Candy, Tim Curwick, charles george, Saul, Mark Terrio-Cameron, Viraansh Bhanushali, Kevin Bealer, Philippe von Bergen, Chris Peters, Justin Lentz
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Sources:
Dr. George Michalopoulos, personal communication

[Master_Therion]

So, the human body is not an endless pool of potential liver donation, unless you are British. They have a Liverpool.

[EPhantom]

I am so happy that you guys made this video! I just received a liver donation (split liver donation from someone designated as brain dead) on Pi day. I have had symptoms since fall 2009 and was diagnosed in February 2011. I'm finally starting to look normal, sleep normal, and have my cognitive functions back to where they were before.

[musclehank]

Donating your liver just to regrow it and donate another one is...

For the strong!

[TheTexas]

I never knew I wanted to know this until I got the notification.

[theshuman]

there goes my ambitions to become a full time liver donor

[TheBlackBeltPanda]

So it's like scaling up a jpeg? A lower resolution liver? XD

[HayakawaKuro]

1. Donate over half your liver
2. Regrow your liver
3.
4. Profit

[AshArAis]

My uncle had cancer, and had 70% of his liver removed. 18 months later he had a few polite drinks at a wedding. He's not going to donate it to anybody. but 6 years later it's going well for him!

[UnusualSocks]

Thank you, Mrs. Willard, for your incredible contributions to science and modern medicine.

[midgefidget]

I've actually wondered about this myself and I didn't know how to find the answer. Glad I watch this channel. Thanks SciShow

[redscrochetedstuff]

My big brother just got a liver transplant. He did very well.

[ZoggFromBetelgeuse]

How in the Galaxy is it possible to make a whole video about a constantly mutilated and regrowing liver - without mentioning even once the myth of Prometheus???

[sandrastreifel]

I’ve wondered that before; your explanation for why not was excellent!!!

[kamiaikens]

I feel like you were listening in on my conversation with my friends last night cause of this.

[stutijain]

thank you hank. answering my late night curiosities

[fgvcosmic]

Finally! Ive been thinking about this for ages!

[hf]

I was thinking of asking you guys the same question after the previous video!!!

[uss_]

Ive honestly wondered about this. Thanks Scishow!

[Inidentificado]

0:51 Please tell me the name of that rat was Prometheus. It is the definition of a perfect name.

[outti]

But you can feed it to your eagle again and again ;)