Probably, every person knows what regeneration is in biology and medicine - this topic, albeit superficially, is studied at school. However, not everyone knows about the intricacies of the processes, the conditions that affect it. Moreover, not every reader thinks that regeneration is constantly and almost continuously in his body.
What it is
What is regeneration in biology, in the 7th grade of the school is told, but just in case, we recall. This is the ability of people and animals to repair damaged tissue. Some representatives of the animal world are even able to completely restore the lost organs. But first of all, this applies to primitive organisms. The more complex the physiology of the creature, the less regenerative it has.
The word "regeneration" itself comes from the English term regeneration and translates as "restoration". Indeed, this word describes the process very well.
Types of Regeneration
First, let’s tell you what regeneration can be. Experts distinguish two varieties: physiological and reparative.
The first occurs constantly, both in the simplest animals and in humans. Indeed, throughout life, the body is updated, restored.
For example, molting can be observed in animals - wool gradually falls out and is replaced by a new one. Similarly happens with feathers in birds. Sharks and some other fish constantly fall out and grow new teeth. Man is no exception. The skin is constantly updated, although this is not too noticeable. The clipped hair and nails grow back after a while.
Thus, it becomes clear that physiological regeneration is an everyday recovery that has nothing to do with extreme conditions and a threat to life.
Reparative recovery has completely different properties. This mechanism is included only in cases when some organ has been lost - vital or other. We will tell you more about it below. But there are two types of reparative regeneration : typical and atypical.
With the typical, everything is simple - in place of the lost organ, another grows, exactly the same or slightly inferior to it in size. But atypical is capable of confusing any expert. The fact is that sometimes in place of a lost organ, a completely different one grows. For example, in place of a torn paw, a shrimp can grow an antenna. This mechanism has not yet been discovered by scientists - it remains only to observe amazing metamorphoses.
What does it depend on
The intensity and timing of regeneration depends on many factors.
The first and foremost of these is age. The older a person (or any other organism), the slower the recovery process. Experts explain this by the decreasing number of stem cells in the blood - they are usually used when replacing damaged organs.
An important factor is the physical condition. A depleted organism will recover much longer and less effectively than a healthy, strong one.
Of course, food can be attributed here. Any person who eats hearty, varied, receives all the necessary vitamins and minerals with food, will recover more successfully than another, sitting on a monotonous and inappropriate diet.
Finally, as proved by scientists, an important influence is exerted by the psychological state. Any organism under stress almost ceases to recover. That is why doctors always insist on giving the patient complete rest for a speedy recovery from fractures and any other serious injuries.
Wildlife Regeneration Examples
To more clearly explain what regeneration is in biology, examples are worth giving. Let's start with wild animals. The physiological recovery has already been mentioned above - ordinary molting is its typical manifestation.
But there are more complex, interesting. The most famous of them, perhaps, is the restoration of the tail of a lizard. Everyone knows that if you grab her by the tail, then she can easily drop her tail to escape from a potential predator. In the next few weeks or months, she will grow a new organ, which, if necessary, will also be easily discarded.
Crawfish enthusiasts must have noticed that sometimes the claws of these creatures vary in size - one is simply huge, while the other is very tiny. It is also the cause of regeneration. If the cancer loses its claw for some reason, then over time it will be able to grow a new one, although this will take quite a while.
Earthworms and hydras have amazing regenerative abilities. Even if you simply tear off a small piece of the body, then over time it will fully recover - from a miserable stump you get a new creature, exactly similar to the "original". Sponges are especially strong in this sphere - even if you push it through a sieve and mix the resulting mass, then soon the individual cells will merge into the original organism.
What can be restored in humans
In general, the importance of regeneration for biology and medicine is very high. If in the field of biology this is of interest only to experts, then regeneration in medicine can affect any person.
Examples of physiological regeneration in humans have already been mentioned above. But what organs can he restore if necessary?
The most obvious answer is fractures. Broken bones need to be fixed well and evenly, after which they are restored - a small growth occurs at the fracture site, but in general, with proper splicing, the organ acts no worse than before the injury.
Fewer people know that with liver damage, it can also recover. For example, if part of the liver (no more than 25%) is removed as a result of the operation, then the remaining mass increases in size. Moreover, it is not the number of cells that increases, but their size. As a result, the damaged liver reaches its original size and copes with its function perfectly.
Conclusion
Our article is drawing to a close. Now you know what regeneration is in biology. Definition, types and examples are given in this material. Let's hope that this information was not only interesting, but also useful.