
kohlcel
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Salamanders, such as axolotls, hatch in ponds alongside hungry siblings that nibble on them. This may explain why they evolved the ability to regenerate missing limbs and gills. In contrast, humans have a rolling programme of replacing about 10 billion cells per day.
This hints at a possibility that we have inherited the ability to regenerate limbs, yet the relevant bits of genetic code may be switched off or modified. Rapid cell division is associated with tissue regeneration, but it is also a feature of cancer. It is possible that evolution in humans has suppressed rapid cell division in order to combat cancer at the cost of losing our ability to regenerate tissue. Tantalisingly, salamanders regenerate tissue but hardly ever get cancer.
Source: https://www.newscientist.com/lastwo...ans-regrow-limbs-like-an-axolotl-or-a-lizard/
This hints at a possibility that we have inherited the ability to regenerate limbs, yet the relevant bits of genetic code may be switched off or modified. Rapid cell division is associated with tissue regeneration, but it is also a feature of cancer. It is possible that evolution in humans has suppressed rapid cell division in order to combat cancer at the cost of losing our ability to regenerate tissue. Tantalisingly, salamanders regenerate tissue but hardly ever get cancer.
Source: https://www.newscientist.com/lastwo...ans-regrow-limbs-like-an-axolotl-or-a-lizard/