Planaria are freshwater flatworms that have become a key model for studying regeneration and stem cells, as they can regenerate any part of the body, even the head. But how does the animal know what ...

FINDINGS: Devising a novel method to identify potential genetic regulators in planarian stem cells, Whitehead Institute scientists have determined which of those genes affect the two main functions of ...

If you dissect a planarian (Schmidtea mediterranea)—a flatworm about half an inch long—into 279 tiny fragments, each fragment can regrow into an entire animal. New research from the lab of Alejandro ...

SALT LAKE CITY -- University of Utah researchers-feeding microscopic pills of RNA to quarter-inch long worms called planarians-have identified many genes essential to understanding a biological ...

Planarians are flatworms that have a simple central nervous system (CNS) but an extraordinary ability to regenerate neural tissue. Their CNS is divided into distinct molecular and functional domains ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. Imagine waking in the morning with no brain, and no memory ...