Have you ever wondered how sharks perpetually regenerate their teeth? Why can't humans do the same thing, or can they?! This week expert Dr. Gareth Fraser joins us to tell us all about this special shark superpower.

We jump into Dr. Fraser's article, "The Dental Lamina: An Essential Structure for Perpetual Tooth Regeneration in Sharks" (Fraser et al. 2020)

Article Summary:

Methods of studying evolutionary, development, and regenerative biology have been improving over the past few years. This paper utilizes the embryonic small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) using new techniques that allow them to research key developmental and regenerative processes that classical models can not. The development of shark teeth and their subsequent regeneration is a lesser studied area of research. Fraser et al. explore the role of the dental lamina, the tissue that is the first evidence of teeth in an embryo, in the development of highly regenerative dentition in sharks. Sharks regenerate whole teeth at a time as opposed to other systems such as the murine model where incisors exhibit continuous renewal and growth of the same tooth. Studying shark teeth on a genetic level can provide important context into the evolution of vertebrate tooth regeneration.

Learn more about Dr. Fraser's work at: www.fraser-lab.net

Follow Dr. Fraser on Twitter @garethjfraser

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