This episode is another scrapper.
It played a bit part in another story I submitted to Nature Magazine’s weekly science fiction feature ‘Futures’. Again, my limited abilities were a disservice to the story, but I felt there was something here.
Humans are capable of limb regeneration, did you know that? Not whole arms and legs, though. Not hands or even entire fingers—but the tips of a finger are capable of growing back. It’s documented in pediatric emergency medical journals that a child, younger than 11 or 12 years old, can regrow the part of the finger so long as a portion of the nailbed remains. Fingernails are like human hair and continuously grow with the help of stem cells. This ability is limited in adults, possibly due to a change in response, where instead of initiating regeneration it, instead, triggers inflammation.
So like public discourse on the internet, people get more inflammatory as they age.
I’d also like to comment on why many of my stories take place in Texas. It’s Stephen King-esque and fantastical that all these stories can happen in one state, but it’s done out of convenience more than anything. I’ve seen the way the grass grows across the different climates, ranging from brown, patched with dirt, and infested with fire ants in the valley, to the rich green carpets of the east and north. The way the moon as a gunmetal medallion or crimson sunsets gleam against both fresh and salt bodies of water. These visualizations are easier to parse out in my mind and allow me to step into my characters.
This story is called “Left in the Texas Sun, Fruit Turns to Leather.”
Chopped: How Amputated Fingertips Sometimes Grow Back
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/06/10/190385484/chopped-how-amputated-fingertips-sometimes-grow-back
CREDITS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
How Does This End? is a StumbleWell Production with original written works by Christopher Narvaez. This episode was recorded and edited by Christopher Narvaez with the final soundcheck by Hallease Narvaez. Our cover art for season 2 is designed by Edgar Lushaju, check out his work on Instagram @drawhapa. The music is from Epidemic Sound. Try it out for free on your next project: http://share.epidemicsound.com/s8W7c
