Grounds for Science: Regeneration, replacement, and renewal: lessons from fish teeth

When we lose our baby teeth, they are typically replaced with our permanent adult teeth. But what happens when we lose our permanent teeth? Why are they not replaced again? In non-mammalian vertebrates, like sharks, fish, and reptiles, teeth are continuously regenerated throughout their adult life. Harnessing natural variation in the threespine stickleback fish has allowed our lab to gain a better understanding of vertebrate tooth regeneration and how it compares to other regenerating organs like hair, scales, and feathers.

Speaker: Alyssa Bormann, UC Berkeley