Newborn Mice’s Hearts Can Heal Themselves, Study Finds

By: Sindia N. Bhahoo

An adult zebra fish can regenerate a damaged heart with no scar formation. This remarkable phenomenon has been seen in other fish and amphibians as well, but never before in a mammal. Now researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center report in the current issue of Science that the mammalian newborn heart can fully heal itself.

Dr. Hesham Sadek, a cardiologist at the medical center, and his colleagues worked with mice and found that if a portion of the heart was removed within the first week of life, the heart grew back completely.

I picked this article because I find it incredible that a little mouse can have such a strong heart.

This information is taken from The NY Times