Axolotls, with their signature smiles and pink gills, are the celebrities of the salamander world. But they are more than just cute: They might also hold the secret to regenerating human limbs. Among ...

In the muddy waters of Mexican lakes, birds prey on axolotls by clamping their sharp teeth around the salamanders’ limbs and snapping them off. But, unlike humans who can’t regrow missing limbs, ...

When a salamander loses a leg, it grows back. When a zebrafish loses a fin, it grows back. When a mouse loses a fingertip, it grows back, but only the very tip, and then the process stops cold. Three ...

Here it is, floating silently in the green light of its microwave-sized tank: the axolotl — the googly-eye Mexican salamander known for its ability to regenerate lost body parts. The creature, with ...

The axolotl may look cartoonishly harmless, but beneath its frilly gills lies one of evolution’s most astonishing survival abilities: functional brain regeneration.

Although often glossed over, the human liver is a pretty amazing organ. Not just because it’s pretty much the sole thing that prevents our food from killing us, but also because it’s the only organ in ...

Axolotls look easy to care for at first. They stay still most of the day, rarely make noise, and often seem fine even when ...

Emulating the abilities of salamander genes In salamanders, SP8 does the work in regenerating limbs. Using CRISPR gene-editing technology, Currie's lab removed SP8 from the axolotl genome. Without SP8 ...