Sean Adl-Tabatabai – Harvard 18University scientists have uncovered the DNA switch that controls genes for whole-body regeneration, paving the way to allow humans to regrow limbs.

Some animals are able to achieve extraordinary feats of repair, such as salamanders which grow back legs, or geckos which can shed their tails to escape predators and then grow new ones in a matter of weeks.

Yahoo News reports: Planarian worms, jellyfish, and sea anemones go even further, actually regenerating their entire bodies after being cut in half.

Now scientists have discovered that in worms, a section of non-coding or ‘junk’ DNA controls the activation of a ‘master control gene’ called early growth response (EGR) which acts like a power switch, turning regeneration on or off. Continue reading →