One step back, two steps forward

Many organisms are capable of regenerating damaged or lost tissue, but why some can, while others cannot, is not known. In work published in Nature Communications, first authors Alexander Stockinger and Leonie Adelmann from the Raible lab show that specialized marine worm cells de-differentiate into stem cells to regenerate the lost tissue. The researchers’ findings support hypotheses posited over 60 years ago and suggest new directions for future studies on regeneration.