17 December 2018

Pic of the week: tetra fish


This cute little critter, called a tetra fish, has a very special skill – it can regenerate its own heart tissue should it become damaged.

That makes it popular not only among aquarium owners, but also medical researchers.

The general premise is simple. If we can figure out how the fish do it, then maybe, one day, we can figure out a way to do the same for humans.

Think of cost savings from bypassing all those expensive heart transplants. That’s assuming, of course, that humankind doesn’t negligently kill off all the tetra fish in the meantime.