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. + Adam Monroe (Takezo Kensei) doesn't look over 25 (which is when our cells start dying). In 1671 we meet him, by that time he is 87 years old. + Adam Monroe is still alive in 2007 and apparently has not aged since 1671 (which would make him about 350 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	+ Claire seems to age appropriately, and therefore might die of old age. - Adam however, does not. + 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 father Nathan Petrelli, in Five Years Gone. + However, Claire survived a nuclear explosion in that very same Dark Future.
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.
Heroes with this power can cure others with blood transfusions or organ transplants	Lizards, Four Months Ago...	:+ Claire can be temporarily "killed" if something is inserted in her brain, but a organ or blood in ideal conditions (like another human body) could still regenerate. + If her body parts can't regenerate individually, she still could be used as "organ factory". + Bob theorizes that Claire's regenerative abilities might be the key to curing the Neo-Shanti virus. (Out of Time) + Proven true by Adam when he mixed his blood into Nathans, who in turn healed from his wounds. (Four Months Ago...)
This power depends of the individual self-image. It heals the person using it to what they think they should like.	None.	+ All powers come from the brain. + Claire's hair also "regenerates" when she is burned by Ted's power. - This is probably because they can't cut the actress's hair. + Peter's tattoo vanishes minutes after is made. - Tattoos are essentially made by wounding the body, thus leading to regeneration. + Claire's hair seems to grow back, but Peter very obviously has gotten a haircut. + While it's never been shown specifically, Claire's pierced ears don't seem to heal up all the time, and she changes her earrings. There would be a lot more blood if she was re-piercing her ears everyday.
This power creates the matter necessary for new body parts to grow.	None.	+ Growth needs matter, which would usually be taken from the body, leading to weight loss, and yet none of the known evolved humans with this power displayed this. - Maybe the wounds aren't big enough to be noticed by the body. + Peter loses a great deal of blood in Homecoming with no adverse side effects.
Heroes with this power cannot contract the Shanti virus.	None.	+ Peter shows no symptoms of the virus when landing in an infected future New York. - Neither does Caitlin. + Bob believes Claire is the key to curing the virus.
The exact process of rapid cell regeneration involves a rapid release of some sort of healing chemical from the brain into the bloodstream.	None.	+ Although abilities are centered in the brain, Adam was able to heal Nathan by giving him some of his blood. + Claire was not able to heal when she had a branch stuck in her head. Peter was not able to heal with the shard of glass in his head. Obstructions such as these could prevent the release of the "healing chemical."