Ed Brayton is a freelance writer and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
According to Fox News:
It's now possible to replace a defective, damaged, or diseased penis with a penis grown in a laboratory -- in rabbits.But the finding promises an amazing new treatment for infants, boys, and men who suffer penis disfigurement. The replacement organ would be grown on a penis-shaped matrix seeded with cells from the patient's own body.
There appears to be no truth to the rumors that the artificial penii look like Bill O'Reilly. It's odd that this was done at a Baptist university in North Carolina. An hour south, and the procedure would have been illegal. And in a related story, the Southern Baptist Convention issued a statement banning the research because they're afraid it will lead to dancing.
Comments
It's odd that this was done at a Baptist university in North Carolina.
Well it is Wake Forest, not really the bastion of the Southern Baptist's wingnuttery. I grew up in that town and It's a relatively progressive place.
My money is on the O'Reilly - penii resemblance however.
Posted by: BigDumbChimp![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 26, 2006 12:45 AM
That's awesome. And kudos for referencing my favorite Baptist joke.
/raised evangelical
Posted by: Evil Bender![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 26, 2006 2:13 AM
I can't help it.
Somehow there has to be an Ann Coulter joke in all of this.
Posted by: Jim Ramsey![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 26, 2006 6:27 AM
Hmm. With the commercialization of Universities that started (or at least was given a big boost) when Universities were encouraged to get patents and have business spin-offs on their research, all I can think is that Wake Forest must be about to go into the spamming business big time.
To heck with the "make your member longer" spams. Now there will "Unsatisified with your member? Get a new one, designed to spec!" spams.
-Rob
Posted by: Rob Knop![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 26, 2006 7:30 AM
I bet female-to-male transsexuals will be overjoyed.
Posted by: Gretchen![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 26, 2006 7:57 AM
If the university does patent this, expect them to have a larger endowment than Harvard.
/double entendre
Posted by: DOF![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 26, 2006 8:09 AM
What Gretchen said. Also, while I'm perfectly happy with the equipment I have, I do hope that this is just one step on the way toward lab-grown hearts, livers, lungs, and so forth. Hundreds of thousands could be saved with such technology.
Also -- would a prime rib grown in the lab be objectionable to vegans? Suppose you could scrape off a few epithelial cells from a cow, and turn them into 1000 pounds of porterhouse? Would there really be an ethical objection then?
Oh -- and would it be kosher?
The future is going to be a very fun place.
Posted by: Jason Kuznicki![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 26, 2006 9:31 AM
Larry Flynt is on the phone with Wake Forest as we speak!
Posted by: bourgeois_rage![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 26, 2006 9:38 AM
Oh, how I long for the day when we can satisfy the demand for food without large-scale farming. Just grow the meat in factories.
Posted by: Roman Werpachowski![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 26, 2006 11:25 AM
I rather think the objection would come from the awesomely powerful meat industry lobby. Maybe they would come up with a religious objection, calling it "unnatural" and compare it to stem cell research or something in order to deny funding.
Posted by: Gretchen![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 26, 2006 11:29 AM