Tissue regeneration isn’t out of earshot!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Rabbits regenerate ear tissue like no other. What’s their evolutionary secret?
Ask Weifeng Lin and team at the National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing.
They found a gene called Aldehyde1A2 that was active in wound-healing cells of rabbits, but NOT mice! This gene is ALSO active in zebrafish and salamanders – animals with AWESOME regenerative abilities!
Mice lack the genetic “switch” required to turn on this gene during ear healing. When the researchers inserted the rabbit “switch” into the DNA of mice, their ears healed FORTY percent more!
One day, this research may help people regenerate tissue better.
So, here here for the lucky rabbit ear!
Reference: Weifeng Lin et al., Reactivation of mammalian regeneration by turning on an evolutionarily disabled genetic switch. Science 388, eadp0176(2025). DOI:10.1126/science.adp0176