Among vertebrates, the ability to regenerate functional limbs or other body parts is rare. Salamanders can regrow entire limbs, deer grow new antlers, and zebrafish can regrow large portions of their hearts. Now, research published in Science Advances today (January 26) reveals a possible way to trigger functional limb regeneration for animals that normally can’t pull it off. In the study, African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) that had a hind leg amputated and then were treated with regenerative drugs grew new legs that functioned similarly to those of frogs that never lost a leg in the first place.
After amputating 115 female frogs’ right hind legs, the researchers divided the frogs into three groups, each of which received different treatments, according to the paper. In addition to a control group, one group of frogs had their stump encapsulated and sealed off in a small silicon cap that the researchers call ...
