You recall the story about how Louis Pasteur discovered penicillan because of sloppy habits in the kitchen and moldy bread. Well according to Wired News a funny thing happened on the way to making a special kind of mouse for studying lupus.
Mice discovered accidentally at the Wistar Institute in Pennsylvania have the seemingly miraculous ability to regenerate like a salamander, and even regrow vital organs.
Researchers systematically amputated digits and damaged various organs of the mice, including the heart, liver and brain, most of which grew back.
The results stunned scientists because if such regeneration is possible in this mammal, it might also be possible in humans.
The researchers also made a remarkable second discovery: When cells from the regenerative mice were injected into normal mice, the normal mice adopted the ability to regenerate. And when the special mice bred with normal mice, their offspring inherited souped-up regeneration capabilities.
The mice, known as the MRL strain, were specially bred to develop lupus. But researchers don’t know why exactly the animals’ injuries heal so well.
OK that part about systematically amputated digits is a little creepy.
