[Karen W. (OP)]

I ask because My Daughter has started me to buying

these huge bones for my dog to chew on and I understand

they are big leg portions of a cow which they remove from

the Joints.. so each end has this huge joint on it...

(and I don't mean weed!!!)

The dogs love them, especially when they get into the bones middle

to the marrow!


Now I see as the cow is obviously dead and

butchered, that this marrow inside is very hard,.... not quite

as hard as the bone, but is that because the cow is dead.. Or

is bone marrow solid..?


I have always assumed without really

knowing that it was liquid when the critter was living, as I

would also assume it is liquid for humans when we are living too, but is it???

Is it a thick like fluid...or what, and what color is it?


Please do tell if you know???

[RD]

The bone marrow cells reside in spongy bone...

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STEVE GSCHMEISSNER / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Interior of a bone. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a long bone fractured to show its interior. The outer layer (pink) of the bone comprises proliferating cartilage. In the centre is spongy, or cancellous bone, which contains bone marrow (red) the site of blood cell production. Spongy bone is characterised by a honeycomb arrangement, comprising a network of trabeculae (cream, centre). The perimeter of the bone is made from thicker bone, called compact, or cortical bone.

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STEVE GSCHMEISSNER / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Bone marrow. [false colour] Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of bone marrow in cancellous bone tissue. Bone tissue can be either cortical (compact) or cancellous (spongy). Cancellous bone is found in the centre of the bone and is characterised by a honeycomb arrangement, comprising a network of trabeculae (fibrous tissue). These structures provide support and strength to the bone. The spaces between the trabeculae are filled with bone marrow (blue), which produces blood cells. Differentiating white blood cells (pink), part of the body's immune system, are seen here. Magnification: x500 when printed 10 centimetres wide.

[Karen W. (OP)]

Wow Thats cool! I did not know that and my assumption was way off.. Thank you RD!

Can you tell me kinda what the procedure is for bone marrow transplants ? How do they remove the doner marrow? Does the doner's marrow resupply itself with new marrow?

[RD]

Bone marrow stem cells are collected from the donor either by bone marrow tap (drilling a hole into the marrow cavity and sucking the stem cells out), or less painfully by giving a drug called G-CSF, which causes the stem cells to increase their rate of cell division so that they begin to spill out into the blood stream; this means that they can be harvested from peripheral blood.

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=16143.msg187765#msg187765

[Karen W. (OP)]

Thanks Rd .. I did read that but am curious how they suck it out in its present state of form, Spongy and all???

[RD]

The spongy bone will be broken up by the large needle when the marrow is sucked out, (harvested).
I think the bone marrow stem cells are then separated out from the tiny bone fragments using a centrifuge.

[Karen W. (OP)]

Wow that does sound painful that way.. Thus why the new way to retrieve them I assume!