Monday, November 26, 2007

If a zebrafish can grow a new tail,what about Man's brains?????

drawing by marguerita

The humble zebrafish will be used to find meaning for the code in the human genome.
Being a vertebrate, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) has blood, kidney and optical systems that share many features of the human systems.
Work on this organism will complement that on the mouse, which is the most widely used mammalian genetic model organism.
http://www.sanger.ac.uk/Info/Press/001121.shtml
This interesting article illustrates how amazingly zebra fish regains its tail after losing one. Apparently a zebrafish tail grows back within a matter of one week. It not only can replace the tail, but also can replace a number of other body parts.And according to Alfred Kinsey,"God had given young men at around puberty a vital substance which turns boys into men. The effects of wasting this fluid could be very dangerous indeed."
A tail fin, for example, has a number of different types of cells and is a very intricate structure. It is the fish version of an arm or leg.
The question of how cold-blooded animals re-grow missing tails and other appendages has fascinated veterinary and medical scientists.
They also wonder if people, and other warm-blooded animals that evolved from these simpler creatures, might still have untapped regenerative powers hidden in their genes.
People are constantly renewing blood components, skeletal muscles and skin. We can regenerate liver tissue and repair minor injuries to bone, muscle, the tips of our toes and fingers, and the corneas of our eyes. Finding out more about the remarkable ability of amphibians and fish to re-grow complex parts might provide the information necessary to create therapies for people whose hearts, spinal cords, eyes or arms and legs have been badly hurt.
Researchers have discovered some of the genes and cell-to-cell communication pathways that enable zebrafish to restore their tail fins..
And here this:Start with why women prefer to talk about their feelings, while men prefer to meditate on sex.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5197440.stm http://www.annalsnyas.org/cgi/content/abstract/1047/1/13 .
Read more
http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/archives/Animal-science-blog/1173912282-Feb-5-2007.
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