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First Mammals Observed Regenerating Tissue
ananyo writes "Two species of African spiny mouse have been caught at something no other mammal is known to do — completely regenerating damaged tissue. The work could help improve wound healing in humans. The species — Acomys kempi and Acomys percivali — have skin that is brittle and easily torn, which helps them to escape predators by jettisoning patches of their skin when caught or bitten. Researchers report that whereas normal laboratory mice (Mus musculus) grow scar tissue when their skin is removed, African spiny mice can regrow complete suites of hair follicles, skin, sweat glands, fur and even cartilage (abstract). Tissue regeneration has not been seen in mammals before, though it is common in crustaceans, insects, reptiles and amphibians."
I can regenerate my balls now
I've spent the last 20 years perfecting my Unix skills. The main thing I've always felt was holding me back form perfect success is a lack of a neck beard and no where near enough sweat glands. This may finally get me to perfect my professional arts.
Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
Where trolls are actually on-topic?
I think you're underestimating the significance of this. A creature such as a lobster can regenerate an entire limb. If you cut a starfish in two, each half will regenerate the missing half so that it becomes two independent starfish. When human flesh heals, it tends to simply fill in the gap with scar tissue rather than replace the missing part. Especially for specialised tissue such as brain and heart tissue, once you've lost it, it's gone for good. If we can figure out how to make these parts regenerate, then it will revolutionize the treatment of all kinds of illness - stroke, heart attack, amputation, etc. Richard
So when Tom smashes Jerry with a frying pan, and Jerry shakes it off and goes back to work, it's not so far fetched after all.
Table-ized A.I.
I believe we are considered mammals...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regeneration_%28biology%29#Humans
Healing !== Regeneration Those are two different biological processes. Ignorance won't get you nowhere in life.
Just in time for the next SpiderMan movie.
... this has been also seen in Timelords, don't forget :-)
MRL mice have been observed doing this for over a DECADE now. Hell, we've narrowed down the gene responsible, even.
Here's an article from /. in 2002 on the subject: http://science.slashdot.org/story/02/09/26/1211256/human-limb-regeneration-a-possibility?sdsrc=next /. in 2010 on the subject: http://science.slashdot.org/story/10/03/17/1425241/scientists-demonstrate-mammalian-tissue-regeneration
Here's an article from
Here's a video on the subject: http://vimeo.com/19096437
And here's my faith in /.'s editorial staff:
Ignorance won't get you nowhere in life.
Unless it is in politics or entertainment.....
I remember an article on Scientific American about limb regeneration. Salamanders are the gold standard for regenerating limbs but the article stated that rat/mice are capable of fully regenerate fingers (don't remember if talking of common rat or MRL mice) and with treatment a human could regrow part of fingers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regeneration_(biology)#Mammals http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphy_Roths_Large http://www.sciencentral.com/articles/view.php3?article_id=218392774&cat=1_2 http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=regrowing-human-limbs
And unfortunately it seems that in politics at least ignorance is the key to success.
!== wtf? Cereal boxes are no place to learn science!
What about fingers?
In May 1932, L.H. McKim published a report inThe Canadian Medical Association Journal, that described the regeneration of an adult digit-tip following amputation. A house surgeon in the Montreal General Hospital underwent amputation of thedistal phalanxto stop the spread of an infection. In less than one month following surgery, x-ray analysis showed the regrowth of bone while macroscopic observation showed the regrowth of nail and skin.
Especially for specialised tissue such as brain (...) once you've lost it, it's gone for good. If we can figure out how to make these parts regenerate, then it will revolutionize the treatment of all kinds of illness.
While in general I agree with your statement, I think the brain is where things will get muddy. A lung or heart or even a leg is "relatively" simple. Provided you grown the bones on the right place and the right kind of muscle in the right kind of configuration, it works fine. It may not be a lung working at 100% capacity, or a leg equal to the other one, but it works.
A brain on the other hand, it's not just a static collection of cells. We know that our brain reorganizes (e.g. during the learning process and as a consequence of it) and so, even regrowing the brain tissue would still leave you with a scar. Not necessarily a physical one, you could be capable of controlling all your bodily functions (maintaining a heartbeat, using your legs) without a problem, but a self scar. If the disease touches the parts that control who you are (i.e. personality related areas, and there's plenty of them), even getting them back would result in a different you. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing... but it still not really a cure for the "illness", it's a treatment (in the sense that you don't get your old self back, but you get to a different steady state.
TFA says that the ability extends even into the mice's ear holes, so does that mean they can regenerate damaged hearing? As I understand it, noise-based hearing damage is due to damage to the tiny follicles of hair in the inner ear. These mice regenerate hair as well as skin.. time for some Mötley Crüe based experimentation?
You know, when thinking about which animals defensive ability to choose, it always used to be sea cucumber, hands down.
Now I'll be thinking about whether being able to regurgitate my own stomach really is better than being able to remove my own skin with impunity!
One of my favorite regeneration stories is about the crown of thorns starfish. To battle population booms (before this species was well understood) the sent divers out with machetes to kick ass. After a run they did a census, the creatures had become smaller but their population more than doubled!
Just like the dancing brooms in Fantasia, only without an occult Mickey Mouse.
Also: Penis enlargement.
A whole industry is waiting on this.
that's great and all, but wake me up when the monkeys can sprout adamantium claws.
It is true that the "higher" parts of the brain contain memories and personality, etc. But there are some parts of the brain that are much lower and still essential. Take Parkinson's disease. If we could regrow the neurons that degenerate in Parkinson's patients, they'd have a much better quality of life. Even if the new neurons don't work identically to the old ones, the patient is still better off and has not undergone a significant personality change.
That's correct. There are creatures on this planet that can regenerate whole limbs. It's nothing new.
However, what part of 'First mammals' in the OP and article flew past you? We have the first -mammals- now that actually perfectly regenerate skin, flesh and cartilage.
This has big implications for the research into what makes this stuff tick, and how it could be reproduced in -other mammals-.
Like, say...humans. These strange, endlessly multiplying mammals
At last! Reptilians, your days are numbered!
It seems there is actually a lifeform that evolved to have loose body matter for the sake of survival, that could easily be regenerated.
I always wondered if there was such a creature that evolved to deal directly with the fact that another animal wanted to eat it by providing it something to eat.
Are any other creatures out there that show this ability?
And I don't mean generic lizards repairing lost limbs, these creatures skins are very specifically weak for survival reasons. (at least, it seems that way, it most likely is)
grow complete suites of hair follicles
Eyes fuzzy from sleep, I could've sworn that read "complete suites of hairy testicles..."
So we might really grow Wub fur in the future! (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_by_Its_Cover)
Nae king! Nae laird! Nae yurrupiean pressedent! We willna be fooled again!
Test
I think we should avoid over-hyping this. This is a mouse that can regenerate skin rather than scar tissue. I see nothing to suggest it grows new bones, muscles, major blood vessels, or nerves, so it's unlikely that this will move us much closer to regenerating lost limbs. Not to dismiss the findings. I'm a cell biologist, this is extremely interesting to me still, and regenerating skin rather than scar tissue is obviously important enough to merit a lot more study.
I'd hazard a guess that it's likely we'll be able to make as many skin cells as you'd need using induced pluripotent stem cell technology before too long. However, that wouldn't be -skin- that would be some flasks of cells. With the skin cell gun, it's possible to treat and heal second degree burns, but wiki tells me it isn't yet been validated for third degree burns, and I'm guessing has little hope of replacing skin that is completely lost due to disease or other injury. So the ability to make new skin in humans will be an important breakthrough, and these mice may tell us how, that's very exciting. But I don't think it's likely to help all types of regenerative medicine.
http://science.slashdot.org/story/05/09/01/0035245/australian-science-makes-the-regenerating-mouse
FruFox writes "Australian scientists have created mice which can regenerate absolutely any tissue except for the tissues of the brain. Heart, lungs, entire limbs, you name it. This is the first time this has been seen in mammals. The potential implications are positively mammoth. I thought this warranted attention. :)"
These amazing articles get recycled from time to time.
This phenomenon has already been observed and even filmed for one creature, to the extent that the whole *body* was "regenerated".
I'm not sure whether or not this one is a "mammal" as we know it, though?
"Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
I remember reading that turning on regeneration in mammals required applying an electric current to the limb. Here's something similar: http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070226/full/news070226-8.html
From what I know of the tech, scrubbing the cells out of cadaver skin or 3d-printing an artificial cellular matrix, then implanting the blank with skin cells, shows great promise for treating 3rd-degree burns. It's not quite there yet, but soon.
Richard? No need to use a euphemism, just say dick or penis, we'll understand :)
I do think it's cool that we're still discovering things like this though.
An animal which has been known about for ages, that does such a remarkable thing.
Being a lizard man didn't appeal to me very much. But getting to be Splinter will totally ROCK!
I only look human.
My mother is a halfling and my dad is an ogre, so that makes me an Ogreling
Please cut of a finger and tell us when your "flesh heals" and it grows back fully working.
The title should be, "Scientists find Cure for Baldness". Haven't you been reading those supermarket tabloid headings?
I used to come here to /. because the comments were useful to read regarding critical things to the species. It is no longer so, adieu.
Adieu - How to say goodbye in french
Adieu (pronounced ah dyuh) literally translates to "See you with God" (as in "See you in heaven") and fits true goodbyes in the sense of you are either unsure whether or not you will see the person again, or, if you do see him again, it will be a very long time.
Take the Schlossen cutoff, get out of your car, cut off your schlossen, then see if it regenerates. If it doesn't, you fail. If it does, you must be smilin Bob.
...because its only a matter of time before they try to replace this little guy's skeleton with adamantium.
Super soldiers here we come... Now if only we could wrap a robot in this stuff. What could go wrong ;)
All seriousness aside, I think it would be a huge breakthrough if they can find a way to help regrow human tissue. People really do misunderstand the significance of it. Regenerating a failing kidney with just the good cells or even the heart (as mentioned). An a bigger scale, burn injuries would be the easiest case to test in the future.
Doesn't skin normally contain muscle, blood vessels and nerves?
Use of the words "good", "bad" or "evil" is almost invariably the result of oversimplification.
I suppose that depends on the extent of the damage. For example, if part of your brain is scarred and it heals to the point where it is essentially "reset" as opposed to permanently scarred and damaged, then I'd imagine there would be potential to rebuild pathways and restore function.
Not so good for memory centers (although I believe these are sometimes redundant), but it might be good if you sustain a brain-injury that damages motor skills, the speech-centre etc as those are all those that could be relearned.
I wonder how selective this surgery would be. Not so good if one's vasectomy (or other intentional surgeries which might be interpreted as "damage") suddenly repairs itself...
I'm not disagreeing with you, but you also need to keep in mind that what you are talking about is not a black and white issue. Every experience you have in life, including reading this post makes you a different "you". Every time you forget something, which we all do all the time, you are a different "you". So, the "self scar" that you refer to is growing each and every day in each and every one of us. It would just be more shocking to see 5 years of "self scar" occur over night.
I want to get one as a pet and name it Wolverine!
Bow before me, for I am root.
No, it's ONLY in politics or entertainment that ignorance will get you somewhere (won't get you nowhere) in life. Are you and the GP both from Arkansas or somewhere?
Free Martian Whores!
From a famous scientist: "Hearts and kidneys are tinker toys! I am talking about the central nervous system!"
DR. FREDERICK FRANKENSTEIN
It's also not exactly without precedent. Years ago a lab mouse was found with the same phenotype. The lab mouse is much more useful for studies as we know much more about it's genome than this interesting wild species.
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2011/08/11/1111056108.full.pdf
It's rare, but some people have the ability to self-repair very small cavities or pre-cavity soft spots, with the emphasis on very small. I am one of them.
Then you might be interested to know that turtles and some other reptiles can recover from spinal cord injuries, regrowing the neurons, and chickens can recover their hearing after hair cell loss, which we cannot do.
Overhyping is never good. What counts is finding new avenues of research - and this, if I'm not mistaken, is a new avenue of research. Tissue regeneration is a big f**king deal.
If you're scared of your govt then you need to further restrict its powers
Vote 3rd Party in 2016 and beyond
My dream of becoming wolverine is one step closer
Asparagus for the new millennium?
Then there are those that would like to try reversing circumcision.