A new study reveals the key lies not in the production of a regrowth molecule, but in that molecule’s controlled destruction. The discovery could inspire future regenerative medicine.
The axolotl seems like something out of science fiction. This perpetually youthful-looking Mexican salamander possesses a superpower that defies biology as we know it: the ability to regenerate entire limbs, parts of its heart, and even its spinal cord.
But how does an amputated limb know whether to regenerate an entire arm from the shoulder down or just a hand from the wrist?