Birdsong Studies Lead To a Revolution In Biology

Smithsonian.com covers research that began with the study of birdsong and ended by overturning the common belief that adult animals can't produce new brain cells. "Deconstructing birdsong may seem an unlikely way to shake up biology. But [Fernando] Nottebohm's research has shattered the belief that a brain gets its quota of nerve cells shortly after birth and stands by helplessly as one by one they die — a 'fact' drummed into every schoolkid's skull. [Nottebohm] demonstrated two decades ago that the brain of a male songbird grows fresh nerve cells in the fall to replace those that die off in summer. The findings were shocking, and scientists voiced skepticism that the adult human brain had the same knack for regeneration. ... Yet, inspired by Nottebohm's work, researchers went on to find that other adult animals — including human beings — are indeed capable of producing new brain cells. And in February, scientists reported for the first time that brand-new nerves in adult mouse brains appeared to conduct impulses — a finding that addressed lingering concerns that newly formed adult neurons might not function."

Comments

Old News.

[dawgs72]

Holy 2002 Batman!

Re:fat cells and muscle cells, too?

[c_forq]

This is what I was told when I was a runner. The physical therapists had massages that would create tons of pain, but explained that the reason for this pain is they were creating new tears and expanding the ones caused by the work out while at the same time pushing lactic acid out of the muscle. Flushing out the lactic acid was supposed to help the rips heal faster (I have no idea if that part is true or not).

Re:Take that Dawkins!

[Cassius Corodes]

I disagree - ridicule is a powerful way of socially marginalising people and discouraging other people from taking them seriously. God (in the common religious sense, not the abstract philosophical sense) has been unable to fit in our current scientific knowledge about the world for quite some time, but this has not stopped nonsense from being believed. While it is important not to stoop to dishonesty and etc, all those who are scientific leaders of a kind have to be forceful in calling out folk who peddle nonsense rather than simply ignore them.