Duygu will give a public outreach talk at Maria Mitchell Association on August 29th, 7-8 pm, on Nantucket.
A Worm Fondness for Regeneration: A Story in Several Segments
Segmented worms (or Annelids) have amazing abilities to regrow their lost body parts; a phenomenon called regeneration. When cut into small pieces, many worms can regrow new heads (including a new brain!) and new tails from the small pieces, eventually each piece becoming a new individual. As humans, we have much to learn about regeneration from these organisms. What kind of cells, genes, and processes are involved? How can we visualize regeneration as it is happening? Dr. Özpolat will provide an overview of the wondrous things these creepy crawlies can do, and discuss how her lab is studying them to understand the mechanisms of regeneration.