The animal opposite is a Cape Xenopus, an amphibian that has served as a laboratory model for decades. An American team writes in Science Advances of January 26 to have managed to stimulate in him the partial regrowth of previously amputated hind legs, whereas the regeneration of limbs in adults is, in principle, as inefficient as in mammals.
To obtain this regrowth, the team led by Michael Levin, of Tufts University, covered the stump of the animal for twenty-four hours with a sleeve containing five molecules already known to stimulate organogenesis. The cocktail led to the rapid formation of a protective cell layer, then a limb shape over the months, with finger embryos allowing the animal to swim. The team plans to test this protocol on mammals, but does not want to release images of amputated Xenopus for fear of reactions from animal rights activists. “who in the past have threatened to disrupt this research”.
