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It`s Okay To Be Smart, This Salamander Can Regrow Limbs Like Deadpool

This Salamander Can Regrow Limbs Like Deadpool

Hi guys, Joe here.

One of the most amazing things in nature is the… ahh...

Is that safe?

One of our lights is… it's okay?

Okay!

Where was I?

One of the most amazing things in nature is the -

[OPEN]

Crap.

That was definitely one of my two favorite arms, and now I've just got… one left.

And if there's one rule about losing an arm, it's that they don't grow back.

Unless you're this guy.

I don't mean Deadpool.

Well, I do.

But … I really mean...

…this guy.

The axolotl.

You guys remember Amber from our tuatara video?

Amber: Hi guys!

She also helps take care of axolotls!

Axolotls are salamanders, a type of amphibian.

Joe: It kind of looks like it's smiling… it's really cute.

They have happy little dopey faces.

Hi!

It's nice to meet you.

Like other amphibians, salamanders spend their first days in the water, breathing with gills

and swimming with tails.

Most amphibians lose these traits when they become adults, when they leave the water and

start breathing– with lungs or through their skin.

But axolotls spend their whole lives in the water, so they never lose juvenile traits

like those big gills.

That's right they're…

Prepare to have your mind blown.

And then regenerated.

Because axoltols can do that.

Amber: But by far the coolest thing about them is that they have the ability to regenerate

lost limbs.

In the 1700s, an Italian priest started cutting body parts off animals… kind of a weird

hobby.

He noticed starfish, flatworms… these could all regrow their arms and bodies.

Cool, but they're pretty simple invertebrates, no bones or anything like that.

When he sliced off a salamander's arm, though, he saw something shocking: It regrew the entire

arm, bones and muscles and nerves and blood vessels and everything.

Deadpool-style.

Joe: So, cut off arms, legs, eyes, mouth, tail – anything and they regrow it?

Amber: Yeah!

Perfect copies.

Joe: That is so wild.

Amber: The juvies and babies are super cannibalistic, and so if they're eating each other's

limbs, toes – the ability to regrow them would be really helpful.

An axolotl can even regenerate half its own heart or part of its brain!

That is crazy.

In what is now Mexico, axolotls were known to the Aztecs for centuries…

Aztecs even occasionally ate them.

Amber: They're native to an underground lake: the name's a little interesting…

Joe: We're not even going to try to pronounce it.

Amber: No!

It's Xochimilco.

Joe: Xochimilco?

We'll also put it right here, so we can…

Xochimilco.

Because of the growth of Mexico City, you'll probably never see an axolotl outside of a

glass tank today.

They're almost extinct in the wild.

But biologists are studying the animals in captivity to see if their powers of regeneration

might one day help humans regrow lost body parts.

If I cut off my arm for real, it won't grow back...and I might bleed to death or get a

bad infection.

But an axolotl can regenerate without these problems.

We don't have a complete understanding of how it happens, but here's basically what

goes down:

Right after an amputation, a signal is sent to cells all over an axolotl's body telling

them to start dividing.

Next, skin cells create a living bandaid over the wound.

Now, this is *really* important for everything that comes next.

The animal can't regenerate without it.

After about a week, this bump called a blastema, pops up.

Everything that will become the new limb grows from that little nub.

New cartilage starts to form, notches show up where the digits–fingers or toes–will

go.

And six to ten weeks later the salamander has a complete limb where there was once a

stump.

Take a second and think about how cool that is.

We're talking blood vessels, nerves, muscles - everything re-connected *seamlessly*

Joe: You are a magical creature.

So, obviously yeah, if people lose their limbs it would be cool if we could regenerate

them – Deadpool style – but we can't do that.

Amber: We can't do that.

Joe: But by studying these and how they do it, we might be able to stimulate that in

humans?

Amber: Yeah maybe we can eventually learn to do that!

Scientists think this is within reach.

Don't try this at home, but there have been cases where young children re-grew a fingertip

after an injury.

And some of our organs, like our skin, already regenerate constantly.

The secrets to axolotl-like healing might already be hidden in our own bodies… we

just have to find them.

Think about it: Before you were born, you grew a little bud, that formed a paddle, which

eventually became an arm.

The instructions to do all that are still in your DNA when you're an adult, we just

have to figure out how to turn those growth switches back on.

CU Of course, it's not easy.

There's no gene that says “arm”, “finger”, or “hand” and in your DNA you won't

find literal blueprints for growing a limb.

It's one of the most incredibly complex processes evolution has ever crafted, There's

dozens of genes involved in building a limb, and they don't work like instructions for

say, building furniture.

The genes work more like sheet music for an orchestra.

Different instruments play notes at different times, sometimes together, sometimes on their

own.

It's the timing and where things are played that creates the symphony, not just the sheet

music itself.

Growing a limb works in a similar way.

Dozens of genes, interacting with others, each playing tiny parts in a special order

creates the whole.

The secret to remaking an arm or a leg seems to be turning back the genetic clock to the

very youngest days of an animal's development, pausing the adult arm programming and growing

the limb like it was the first time.

And because the axolotls are “forever young” they may have a ‘leg up'.

Even if we never get to the point of regrowing complete limbs, the lessons we learn studying

axolotls could help us regrow specific tissues like muscle, which is pretty awesome on its

own.

I'd like to give you a hand.

Joe: I want to say a huge thank you to my new friend, this axolotl right here.

And to amber for giving us all of the axolotl facts.

Amber: Yeah man, you sure do axolotl questions…

Joe: well, thanksalotl for answering them.

Alright, stay curious.

This Salamander Can Regrow Limbs Like Deadpool Dieser Salamander kann Gliedmaßen wie Deadpool nachwachsen lassen This Salamander Can Regrow Limbs Like Deadpool Esta salamandra puede regenerar extremidades como Deadpool Deze salamander kan ledematen teruggroeien net als Deadpool Ta salamandra potrafi odrastać jak Deadpool Esta salamandra consegue recuperar os membros como o Deadpool Эта саламандра может отращивать конечности, как Дэдпул Bu Semender Deadpool Gibi Uzuvlarını Yeniden Çıkarabiliyor 这只蝾螈可以像死侍一样重新长出四肢 这只火蜥蜴可以像死侍一样重新长出四肢

Hi guys, Joe here. Hallo Leute, hier ist Joe. Hi guys, Joe here.

One of the most amazing things in nature is the… ahh... Eine der erstaunlichsten Sachen in der Natur ist der.... ähh...

Is that safe? Ist das sicher?

One of our lights is… it's okay? Einer unserer Strahler ist... ist alles in Ordnung?

Okay! Okay!

Where was I?

One of the most amazing things in nature is the - Wo war ich!?

[OPEN]

Crap. Mist. Mierda.

That was definitely one of my two favorite arms, and now I've just got… one left. Era sin duda uno de mis dos brazos favoritos, y ahora sólo me queda... uno.

And if there's one rule about losing an arm, it's that they don't grow back. Und wenn es eine Regel gibt, wenn man seinen Arm verliert, dann ist es, dass sie nicht wieder wachsen

Unless you're this guy. Es sei denn, du bist dieser Typ.

I don't mean Deadpool.

Well, I do. Okay, tue ich.

But … I really mean... Aber ... ich meine wirklich-

…this guy. diesen Typen.

The axolotl. El ajolote. De axolotl.

You guys remember Amber from our tuatara video? Den Axolotl. ¿Os acordáis de Amber de nuestro vídeo de tuatara? Kennen jullie Amber nog van onze tuatara-video?

Amber: Hi guys! Amber: Hi!

She also helps take care of axolotls! Amber hilft, auf die Axolotls hier im Dallas Zoo aufzupassen. También ayuda a cuidar de los ajolotes. Ze helpt ook bij het verzorgen van axolotls!

Axolotls are salamanders, a type of amphibian.

Joe: It kind of looks like it's smiling… it's really cute. Joe: Es sieht ein wenig so aus, als würde es lächeln... Es ist wirklich süß.

They have happy little dopey faces. Sie haben glückliche, kleine, dämliche Gesichter. Tienen caritas de bobos felices.

Hi!

It's nice to meet you. Wie andere Amphibien, verbringen Salamander ihre ersten Tage im Wasser, atmen durch Kiemen-

Like other amphibians, salamanders spend their first days in the water, breathing with gills Al igual que otros anfibios, las salamandras pasan sus primeros días en el agua, respirando con branquias.

and swimming with tails. -und schwimmen mit einem Schwanz.

Most amphibians lose these traits when they become adults, when they leave the water and Die meisten Amphibien verlieren diese Fähigkeiten, wenn sie erwachsen werden, das Wasser verlassen und La mayoría de los anfibios pierden estos rasgos al hacerse adultos, cuando abandonan el agua y

start breathing– with lungs or through their skin. anfangen zu atmen - mit Lungen oder durch ihre Haut.

But axolotls spend their whole lives in the water, so they never lose juvenile traits Aber Axolotl verbringen ihr gesamtes Leben im Wasser und verlieren nie ihre jugendlichen Eigenschaften Pero los ajolotes pasan toda su vida en el agua, por lo que nunca pierden sus rasgos juveniles.

like those big gills. wie diese großen Kiemen

That's right they're… Bereitet euch darauf vor, verblüfft zu werden! [Wortwörtlich: Bereitet euch darauf vor, dass euer Geist explodiert]

Prepare to have your mind blown. Prepárese para alucinar.

And then regenerated. Und sich dann regeneriert. En dan geregenereerd.

Because axoltols can do that. Denn Axolotl können das. Omdat axoltols dat kan.

Amber: But by far the coolest thing about them is that they have the ability to regenerate Pero lo mejor de todo es que tienen la capacidad de regenerarse...

lost limbs.

In the 1700s, an Italian priest started cutting body parts off animals… kind of a weird

hobby.

He noticed starfish, flatworms… these could all regrow their arms and bodies. Er stellte fest, dass Seesterne, Plattwürmer... Diese konnten alle ihre Arme und Körper nachwachsen lassen. Se fijó en las estrellas de mar, los platelmintos... todos ellos podían regenerar sus brazos y cuerpos.

Cool, but they're pretty simple invertebrates, no bones or anything like that. Cool, allerdings sind sie relativ simple, wirbellose Tiere, keine Knochen oder irgendetwas in die Richtung. Guay, pero son invertebrados bastante simples, sin huesos ni nada de eso.

When he sliced off a salamander's arm, though, he saw something shocking: It regrew the entire Als er allerdings den Arm eines Salamanders abschnitt, sah er etwas schockierendes: Es ließ den kompletten Sin embargo, cuando le cortó el brazo a una salamandra, vio algo sorprendente: Volvió a crecer todo el

arm, bones and muscles and nerves and blood vessels and everything. Arm, Knochen und Muskeln und Nerven und Blutbahnen und alles nachwachsen.

Deadpool-style. Deadpool-Style

Joe: So, cut off arms, legs, eyes, mouth, tail – anything and they regrow it?

Amber: Yeah! Ja!

Perfect copies. Perfekte Kopien.

Joe: That is so wild. Das ist so verrückt. Joe: Eso es tan salvaje.

Amber: The juvies and babies are super cannibalistic, and so if they're eating each other's Die Jugendlichen und Babies sind sehr kannibalistisch und essen gegenseitig ihre Amber: De juvies en baby's zijn super kannibalistisch, dus als ze elkaars eten...

limbs, toes  – the ability to regrow them would be really helpful.

An axolotl can even regenerate half its own heart or part of its brain! Un ajolote puede incluso regenerar la mitad de su propio corazón o parte de su cerebro.

That is crazy. Das ist verrückt.

In what is now Mexico, axolotls were known to the Aztecs for centuries… In was nun Mexiko ist, waren die Axolotl den Azteken bereits über Jahrhunderte bekannt...

Aztecs even occasionally ate them. Die Azteken aßen sie bisweilen sogar. Los aztecas incluso los comían ocasionalmente.

Amber: They're native to an underground lake: the name's a little interesting…

Joe: We're not even going to try to pronounce it. Joe: Ni siquiera vamos a intentar pronunciarlo.

Amber: No!

It's Xochimilco.

Joe: Xochimilco? Wir werden es auch hierhin tun, so dass wir...

We'll also put it right here, so we can… También lo pondremos aquí, para que podamos...

Xochimilco.

Because of the growth of Mexico City, you'll probably never see an axolotl outside of a

glass tank today. -eines Aquariums sehen. tanque de cristal hoy. glazen bak vandaag.

They're almost extinct in the wild. Sie sind in der Wildnis nahezu ausgestorben.

But biologists are studying the animals in captivity to see if their powers of regeneration Aber Biologen erforschen die Tiere in Gefangenschaft um zu erfahren, ob ihre Fähigkeiten der Regeneration- Pero los biólogos están estudiando a los animales en cautividad para ver si sus poderes de regeneración

might one day help humans regrow lost body parts.

If I cut off my arm for real, it won't grow back...and I might bleed to death or get a Wenn ich meinen Arm tatsächlich abschneide, wird er nicht nachwachsen ... und ich könnte verbluten oder-

bad infection. -eine schlimme Infektion bekommen.

But an axolotl can regenerate without these problems. Aber ein Axolotl kann ohne diese Probleme regenerieren.

We don't have a complete understanding of how it happens, but here's basically what Wir haben kein vollständiges Verständnis davon, was genau passiert, aber hier ist, was im wesentlichen passiert:

goes down: se cae:

Right after an amputation, a signal is sent to cells all over an axolotl's body telling

them to start dividing.

Next, skin cells create a living bandaid over the wound. Als nächstes kreieren Hautzellen ein lebendes Pflaster über der Wunde.

Now, this is *really* important for everything that comes next. So, das ist jetzt *wirklich* wichtig für alles, was als nächstes kommt.

The animal can't regenerate without it. Das Tier kann ohne nicht regenerieren.

After about a week, this bump called a blastema, pops up. Nach etwa einer Woche entsteht diese Beule namens Blastema. Al cabo de una semana, aparece un bulto llamado blastema. Na ongeveer een week duikt deze bult, een blastema genaamd, op.

Everything that will become the new limb grows from that little nub. Alles, was später zu dem neuen Körperteil wird, wächst aus diesem Hubbel. Todo lo que se convertirá en el nuevo miembro crece a partir de ese pequeño nódulo.

New cartilage starts to form, notches show up where the digits–fingers or toes–will Neuer Knorpel beginnt sich zu formen, Kerben zeigen sich, wo später die Finger und Zehen hinkommen. Comienza a formarse nuevo cartílago, aparecen muescas donde los dedos de las manos o de los pies...

go. Und 6 - 10 Wochen später hat der Salamander ein komplettes Körperteil,-

And six to ten weeks later the salamander has a complete limb where there was once a

stump. Nimm dir eine Sekunde und überlege, wie cool das ist. muñón.

Take a second and think about how cool that is. Tómate un segundo y piensa en lo genial que es.

We're talking blood vessels, nerves, muscles - everything re-connected *seamlessly* Wir reden hier über Blutadern, Nerven, Muskeln - alles wieder nahtlos verbunden. Hablamos de vasos sanguíneos, nervios, músculos... todo reconectado *sin fisuras*.

Joe: You are a magical creature. Joe: Du bist ein magisches Wesen.

So, obviously yeah,  if people lose their limbs it would be cool if we could regenerate Also, offensichtlich wäre es cool, wenn Leute, die ihre Körperteile verlieren, diese regenerieren -

them – Deadpool style – but we can't do that.

Amber: We can't do that. Amber: Das können wir nicht. Amber: No podemos hacer eso.

Joe: But by studying these and how they do it, we might be able to stimulate that in Joe: Aber wenn wir sie erforschen und wie sie es machen, könnten wir in der Lage sein, das in Menschen zu stimulieren?

humans? Ja, vielleicht können wir irgendwann lernen, das zu tun!

Amber: Yeah maybe we can eventually learn to do that!

Scientists think this is within reach. Wissenschaftler denken, dass das in Reichweite ist. Los científicos creen que está al alcance de la mano.

Don't try this at home, but there have been cases where young children re-grew a fingertip

after an injury. -nachdem sie verletzt wurden.

And some of our organs, like our skin, already regenerate constantly. Und einige unserer Organe, wie unsere Haut, regenerieren sich bereits konstant.

The secrets to axolotl-like healing might already be hidden in our own bodies… we

just have to find them. ... wir müssen sie nur finden.

Think about it: Before you were born, you grew a little bud, that formed a paddle, which Denkt darüber nach: Bevor ihr geboren wurden, ist euch eine kleine Knospe gewachsen, die sich zu einem Paddel formte,- Piensa en ello: Antes de nacer, te creció un pequeño brote, que formó una paleta, que Denk er eens over na: voordat je werd geboren, groeide je een kleine knop, die een peddel vormde, die Подумай про це: Перед тим, як ти народився, у тебе виросла маленька брунька, з якої утворилося весло, яке

eventually became an arm. con el tiempo se convirtió en un brazo.

The instructions to do all that are still in your DNA when you're an adult, we just Die Anleitungen, das alles zu tun, sind immernoch in der DNA, wenn ihr Erwachsene seid, wir müssen nur

have to figure out how to turn those growth switches back on. herausfinden, wie wir diese Wachstumsschalter wieder umlegen. tienen que averiguar cómo volver a encender esos interruptores de crecimiento.

CU Of course, it's not easy. Natürlich ist das nicht einfach.

There's no gene that says “arm”, “finger”, or “hand” and in your DNA you won't Es gibt kein Gen das "Arm", "Finger" oder "Hand" sagt und eure DNA wird keine

find literal blueprints for growing a limb. buchstäblichen Baupläne über das Wachstum eines Körperteils finden.

It's one of the most incredibly complex processes evolution has ever crafted, There's Es ist einer der unglaublich komplexesten Prozesse, den die Evolution hervorgebracht hat. Es uno de los procesos más complejos que la evolución ha creado.

dozens of genes involved in building a limb, and they don't work like instructions for docenas de genes implicados en la construcción de un miembro, y no funcionan como instrucciones para

say, building furniture. wie z.B. zum Bau von Möbeln. digamos, construir muebles.

The genes work more like sheet music for an orchestra. Die Gene arbeiten eher wie eine Partitur für ein Orchester.

Different instruments play notes at different times, sometimes together, sometimes on their

own. [Orchestermusik]

It's the timing and where things are played that creates the symphony, not just the sheet

music itself. la propia música.

Growing a limb works in a similar way. Ein Körperteil wachsen zu lassen, funktioniert ähnlich.

Dozens of genes, interacting with others, each playing tiny parts in a special order

creates the whole. -kreieren das Ganze.

The secret to remaking an arm or a leg seems to be turning back the genetic clock to the Das Geheimnis, einen Arm oder ein Bein zu regenerieren, scheint darin zu liegen, die genetische Uhr zu den- El secreto para rehacer un brazo o una pierna parece ser retroceder el reloj genético hasta el

very youngest days of an animal's development, pausing the adult arm programming and growing -allerersten Tagen in der Entwicklung eines Tieres zurückzudrehen,-

the limb like it was the first time.

And because the axolotls are “forever young” they may have a ‘leg up'. Und da die Axolotl für immer jung sind, könnten sie einen Schritt voraus sein.

Even if we never get to the point of regrowing complete limbs, the lessons we learn studying

axolotls could help us regrow specific tissues like muscle, which is pretty awesome on its Axolotl erforschen, könnte uns helfen, spezifische Gewebe wie Museln nachwachsen zu lassen, was an sich schon ziemlich großartig ist.

own.

I'd like to give you a hand. Ich möchte dir eine Hand reichen.

Joe: I want to say a huge thank you to my new friend, this axolotl right here.

And to amber for giving us all of the axolotl facts. Und an Amber, die uns all die Fakten gegeben hat.

Amber: Yeah man, you sure do axolotl questions…

Joe: well, thanksalotl for answering them.

Alright, stay curious. Okay, bleibt neugierig!