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Article: Starting over: some animals can regenerate limbs or even most of their bodies. How?(includes related information on early regeneration research)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- November 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The Mexican salamanders called axolotls, a favorite of some scientists studying regeneration, apparently earned their name from Xolotl, one of the Aztecs' many gods. Legend has it that Xolotl tried to escape an enemy god by turning into a salamander that lived in the lake upon which Mexico City was later built. This particular axolotl has a genetic mutation that robs it of its normal coloring.
Last summer, on the city's hottest day in a century a construction platform beneath a Washington D.C., bridge collapsed, dropping a 15-ton steel beam that killed one man and pinned a second by his legs. With a blowtorch, rescue personnel eventually freed the injured man and ...