Nerdy Science Blog

Last month I wrote an article about Wnt signaling system help in limb regeneration.

They know that as a human embryo matures, loads of cells await the command that directs each to become a certain type of cell with a particular function such as a heart-muscle cell. Once tissue formation begins, a red-light signal puts the brakes on cell growth before it gets out of control.

Dubbed Wnt/Beta-catenin signaling, cell-to-cell conversations control the fate of these as-yet undeveloped cells in the embryo.

—— LiveScience.com: How a Zebrafish Regrows a Fin

There are more researches show that the Wnt signaling system promote tissue regeneration.

Actually this fin-regrow-research do help in saving sharks. You can keep a shark in your aquarium and repeatedly cutting of its fins, the fins will regrow! Is it better to torture one or kills lots of them?
(Picture Source)

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Salk Institute for Biological Studies:

— La Jolla, CA —Chop off a salamander’s leg and a brand new one will sprout in no time. But most animals have lost the ability to replace missing limbs. Now, a research team at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has been able to regenerate a wing in a chick embryo – a species not known to be able to regrow limbs - suggesting that the potential for such regeneration exists innately in all vertebrates, including humans.

The researchers discovered that the Wnt signaling system is responsible for the body regeneration. If human’s Wnt signaling is activated, here are three consequences:

1. You can sell your limbs or organs (perhaps some people do not have this Wnt signaling activated)
2. Every soldiers in US army will activate their Wnt signaling.
3. Human species will long live like cockroach.

Perhaps you would like to watch a video of a frog regrow its fully limb within three weeks.

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