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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Jawless fish can regrow their spinal cords ― twice

Sever its spinal cord, and the eel-shaped lamprey will soon be undulating through the water as usual.
Regenerated nerves in a lamprey spine

Eleven weeks after being cut, a lamprey’s spinal cord shows regrowth of some of its nerve fibres (green) and the tube-like central canal (blue). Credit: S. Allen and J. Morgan

A jawless fish called the lamprey is known for its resilience: after its spinal cord is severed, it can regrow part of its central nervous system and resume swimming normally. Now, scientists have discovered that the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) can repeat the feat even if the same site is re-injured.

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Nature 566, 157 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-00478-2

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