Theory:Rapid cell regeneration

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The following fan theories are about rapid cell regeneration.

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Theories

Theory	Citations	Notes
The ability allows the user to live forever.	None.	Rapid cell regeneration means the cells keep healing and when we age our cells die, so the cells will heal and he doesn't age. + Takeco Kensei doesn't look over 25 (which is when our cells start dieing). In 1671 we meet him, by that time he is 87 years old. • Claire in "5 Years Gone" has bearly aged although she has not reached 25 but only 20 or 21.
With frequent use, this power renders the user to be able to feel only minimal pain, if not no pain at all.	None.	+ In almost all cases of Claire regenerating herself, she has exhibited little or no signs of visible pain. However, due to Peter Petrelli's infrequent use of his regeneration powers, he feels pain whenever he is sufficiently injured. (i.e. Sylar's attempted headcutting. (.07%); Peter shrieks in pain--compare to Sylar's headcutting in Five Years Gone, in which Claire does not show any visible signs of pain + Peter may be crying out in horror and fear, afraid that his head is about to be sliced open, and calling on all hi strength to regenerate fast enough to survive. + Pain is a warning system for the body. Perhaps her body "knows" that it is not in any real danger, so it has ceased to use the sensation of pain. - Claire screams "Ow!" when Lyle staples her. (Nothing to Hide) + Claire could very well have said "Ow!" out of shock/surprise rather than out of any real pain. This is furthered by the fact that she showed barely any pain at having her hand mangled by a garbage disposal unit. (Genesis) - Claire showed that she was in pain through her facial expression when she grabbed the extremely hot muffin tray. (Better Halves) + Claire's facial expression could have been disgust from the smell of burning flesh, or fear at the fact that her mother may realise her power but it is too late to 'not grab' the tray. • Claire didn't even feel the Rib sticking out of her side until Zach pointed it out to her. + She also showed an expression of boredom on her face rather than one of pain when she pushed the rib back in. • It is possible that the effect is psychological. Claire knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that pain is temporary, so she has unconsciously learned to ignore it. + The writers have stated that Claire does feel pain, but not as strongly as most people feel it. + In Kindred, Claire says: "I can feel pain... I just get over it quickly."
Heroes with this power can die.	None	+ Both Claire and Takezo Kensei both seem to age appropriately, and therefore might die of old age. + Special abilities are centered in the brain, so if Sylar takes Claire's brain, her body will die. Hayden Panettiere theorized in an interview that if a foreign object was left in the back of Claire's brain (where the tree branch was, and where the piece of glass lodged in Peter's brain) for a long enough time, she would be unable to regenerate. + Claire gets killed by Sylar posing as her illegitimate father Nathan Petrelli, in Five Years Gone.
Under ideal conditions, severed body parts from a special of this type can regenerate into a duplicate.	None.	• Claire cut off her pinky toe in Lizards, which regenerated. - As Claire's ability is centered in her brain, another body part would carry her special DNA, but would be unable to regenerate on its own.
The brain is the center of abilities, and if unaltered (e.g. by drugs, tree branches, or Sylar), could regenerate an entire body - surviving even decapitation.	None.	• Claire cut off her pinky toe in Lizards, which regenerated. + Assuming Claire's ability is centered in her brain, and that another body part would carry her special DNA, but would be unable to regenerate on its own, it follows that the inverse is true. - It requires a stretch of the imagination to believe that 100% of a body could auto-regenerate from less than 5% without the benefit of nutrition or oxygen (lack of lungs or a heart). • The brain may be less than 5% of the body, but as Mohinder suggested, 'if the soul exists, it exists in the brain.' • No evidence exists to verify or refute that Claire's brain could not function without the benefit of nutrition or oxygen.
Can cure others with blood transfusions or organ transplants	Lizards	- All powers are centered in the brain. + what we known is that Claire can be "killed" if something is inserted in her brain, but a organ or blood in ideal conditions (like another human body) could still regenerate. - Transplant patients need special medication for the rest of they lives because they new organs are considered alien objects by the immune system and are attacked by it. Claire regeneration could make her organs more deadly + if her body parts can't regerate individualy she still could be used as "organ factory"
Somehow, depends of the individual self-image	None.	+ All powers come from the brain. + Claire hair also "regerates" when she is burned by Ted power - This probably because they can't cut the actress hair. + Peter Tatoo vanishes minutes after is made. - Tatoos are essencially made by wounding the body, thus leading to regeneration.
It creates the matter necessary for new body parts to grow	None.	+ growing needs matter, who would usually be taken from the body leading to weight loss and none of the know evolved humans with this power displayed this. - maybe the woulds aren't that great to be noticed + Peter loses a great deal of blood in Homecoming.