regenerate

Regenerate is a verb meaning to grow again, be reborn, or restore to an original or improved state. The word comes from Latin regenerare, re- meaning again and generare meaning to produce.

Biological regeneration refers to regrowth of lost or damaged tissues, organs, or limbs, or restoration of function. Some organisms show remarkable regenerative abilities: planarians can reconstruct whole bodies from fragments; salamanders can replace limbs; hydra and other cnidarians exhibit continual regenerative capacity. In humans, regenerative potential is more limited, though the liver can regrow after partial removal and skin and bone tissues can regenerate to varying degrees. Regeneration often involves mechanisms such as stem cell activity, cellular dedifferentiation, and morphogenetic processes like epimorphosis or morphallaxis, depending on the species and tissue.

Regenerative medicine is a field that seeks to repair or replace damaged tissues using cells, tissues, biomaterials, and gene editing. Techniques include stem cell therapy, tissue engineering, and advances in scaffold design and regenerative biology, with the goal of restoring function rather than merely repairing damage.

Regenerative concepts also apply beyond biology. Regenerative agriculture and regenerative design emphasize restoring ecosystem health and function, focusing on soil quality, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, water management, and resilient infrastructure by working with natural processes rather than against them.

In technology and engineering, regeneration appears in energy and signal processing, such as regenerative braking that recovers energy from motion, and regenerative circuits or receivers that use feedback to restore signal strength.