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Sea Anemone Secrets
04 February 2015

Sea Anemone Secrets

This is a starlet sea anemone. And when it comes to the nervous system it really is a starlet. Unlike humans, this tiny creature can regenerate an entire new nervous system as an adult. Humans are not good at replacing damaged nerve cells – which may arise from injury or stroke – because our whole nervous system arose from a single cluster of neural stem cells when we were embryos. These are not around when we become adults. However, a team of scientists has discovered that the difference between sea anemone and human neural stem cells is not so great. This raises the possibility that one day these little nerve-growing experts could give us a few clues about how to regenerate damaged nerve cells in humans.

Written by Nick Kennedy

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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