Latest news with #axolotl
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Summer school for migrant students takes a double hit from Trump. Fewer kids go to the zoo
The 8-year-old girl is a migrant student whose family moves frequently in search of seasonal work. But for five weeks this summer, she found stability, fun and academic nurturing in a program for children like her that included visits to the L.A. Zoo twice a week. But like the axolotl, the salamander she studied, this program is critically endangered. Because migrant students may have family members who are living in the country illegally — or may themselves lack legal status — the Trump administration wants to end federal funding for it, saying the program wastes money and violates his policy directives. And in a more immediate blow to the program, amid fears over immigration-enforcement raids, fewer children went to the zoo and virtually no parents attended concurrent education workshops on how to support their children's learning. Although the federally funded zoo experience is a tiny program within the Los Angeles Unified School District — and a small part of a summer school that reaches tens of thousands of students, it offers a window into how Trump administration policies filter down to the classroom affecting California's complex education mission and some of the state's most vulnerable children. There are 1,700 students defined as migrants in the nation's second-largest school system, which has about 400,000 students ranging from transitional kindergarten through high school. Parents of these students typically work in agriculture or the dairy industry and they move with the seasons. The children sometimes move with the parents; sometimes they stay behind with relatives in the Los Angeles area or a different home base. Their parents typically have limited education and often limited English-language skills. The federal government provides L.A. Unified about $1.4 million for extra help for migrant students throughout the school year, part of some $400 million in federal migrant education grants available nationwide. The annual distribution of this funding was supposed to begin July 1, but the Trump administration held it back, even though it was approved by Congress earlier this year. Read more: Trump administration freezes $6.8 billion in federal education funds; California hit hard Nationwide, this withheld funding for various education programs surpassed an estimated $6 billion, although some was released last week. Last week California joined other states in suing the Trump administration for holding back the money, much of which the administration wants to eliminate entirely in future years, including the migrant education funding. Those who applaud the federal cutbacks say that state and local governments should pay for these programs if they are valuable. Others believe the federal government retains an important role in helping children with special needs. Without federal involvement, "some students are going to lose, and historically, it had been students of color, it had been migrant students, it had been low-income students," said Mayra Lara, director of Southern California partnerships and engagement for the advocacy group EdTrust-West. A look inside L.A. Unified's effort RR — a rising third-grader whom the The Times agreed to identify by her initials to protect her and her family's privacy — has attended the zoo program for two consecutive years. "I was kind of excited because I had the same teacher, because I really wanted the same teacher because she was nice and kind," said RR, who wears glasses and has a dark ponytail. The number of participants who study at the zoo program is relatively small — because many families leave the area for summer work. In a typical year, 45 students, mostly in elementary school, take part. This summer, however, the number plummeted to 25, even though L.A. Unified provided buses to take students to the zoo and to Malabar Elementary in Boyle Heights, the home base for classroom work. What happened is no mystery to Ruth Navarro, the program's lead teacher for L.A. Unified. Concerned about immigration raids, four families asked if the district could pick their kids up from home. The district figured out a way to do this, but the families eventually declined to participate regardless, Navarro said. "Even though we were willing to go to their home to pick them up, they didn't want to let their child out the door because of fear of what might happen to them," Navarro said. Normally, the school system needs three buses to pick up participating students. This year, one of the buses was canceled. In addition, virtually no parents took advantage of a program for them that coincided with the hours their children were in class, Navarro said. This effort included workshops on such topics as social emotional learning and how to help children improve their reading skills. There also was advice on how to access help with immigration issues, Navarro said. In response to fears, parents were provided with an online simulcast for the workshops — in which about 15 parents participated, Navarro said. Los Angeles Unified also expanded an online version of the Malabar elementary classes, in which about 40 students participated to varying degrees — far more than usual. But the online students missed out on the heart of the program — seven trips to the zoo and in-person classroom interaction. RR took full advantage of summer learning — and became expert on the axolotl. At first, "I thought it was just like a normal fish, but until I noticed the legs. I was like, 'Wait, a fish doesn't have legs,' " she recounted. RR, like other students, created art projects of her animal and also served as a docent for parents and visitors. "They have gills that help them breathe underwater," she explained, holding a microphone next to the tank, adding that the axolotl can change colors to hide. "There's one camouflaging over there," she said, pointing. RR thinks it would be fun to be an axolotl and breathe underwater. She's never been to a pool or an ocean. Read more: California law faces revise as high court allows parents to 'opt out' of LGBTQ+ school stories The students are typically extremely shy at the start of the summer, said Coral Barreiro, community programs manager for the L.A. Zoo. "They learn interpretation skills, which is amazing for building up confidence and public speaking in the future," Barreiro said. "They meet with the zookeepers, and they basically, at the end, mimic everything that we've done and make it their own." The big-picture debate L.A. Unified is continuing its migrant student program for now by using reserves that were designated for other purposes. During the school year, the migrant program pays for services such as tutoring and an extended instructional time after school and on Saturdays. Some argue that migrant programs — and many other examples of federal education spending — are not the responsibility of the federal government, including Neal P. McCluskey, director of the Center for Educational Freedom at the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute. "The federal government doesn't have constitutional authority to fund programs like that, not to mention we have a $37-trillion national debt," said McCluskey, who was not taking a position on the value of the effort. "If government is going to provide such a program, it should be state or locally funded." Read more: Trump administration orders California to remove gender identity from sex education lessons The Trump administration, in its budget proposal for next year, echoes this argument, but also classifies the migrant effort as an outright negative. "This program is extremely expensive" per student, according to budget documents. "This program has not been proven effective and encourages ineligible noncitizens to access taxpayer dollars stripping resources from American students." Critics of the administration's approach say that the federal government has long stepped in to support the students who need it most — when a state is unwilling or unable to do so. Without federal regulation and funding, state and local governments have not "done right by all students," said Lara, of EdTrust-West. The pending cuts and withheld funds, she said, will result in "denying opportunity to students. State and local governments are going to have to make really tough decisions." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Axolotl Discovery Brings Us Closer Than Ever to Regrowing Human Limbs
Axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) have the incredible ability to regenerate limbs, and even entire organs. And of course, people want to know how we might get our own human bodies to do it, too. A team of biologists from Northeastern University and the University of Kentucky has found one of the key molecules involved in axolotl regeneration. It's a crucial component in ensuring the body grows back the right parts in the right spot: for instance, growing a hand, from the wrist. "The cells can interpret this cue to say, 'I'm at the elbow, and then I'm going to grow back the hand' or 'I'm at the shoulder… so I'm going to then enable those cells to grow back the entire limb'," biologist James Monaghan explains. That molecule, retinoic acid, is arranged through the axolotl body in a gradient, signaling to regenerative cells how far down the limb has been severed. Closer to the shoulder, axolotls have higher levels of retinoic acid, and lower levels of the enzyme that breaks it down. This ratio changes the further the limb extends from the body. The team found this balance between retinoic acid and the enzyme that breaks it down plays a crucial role in 'programming' the cluster of regenerative cells that form at an injury site. When they added surplus retinoic acid to the hand of an axolotl in the process of regenerating, it grew an entire arm instead. In theory, the human body has the right molecules and cells to do this too, but our cells respond to the signals very differently, instead forming collagen-based scars at injury sites. Next, Monaghan is keen to find out what's going on inside cells – the axolotl's, and our own – when those retinoic acid signals are received. "If we can find ways of making our fibroblasts listen to these regenerative cues, then they'll do the rest. They know how to make a limb already because, just like the salamander, they made it during development," Monaghan says. "It could help with scar-free wound healing but also something even more ambitious, like growing back an entire finger," he adds. "It's not out of the realm [of possibility] to think that something larger could grow back like a hand." The research is published in Nature Communications. Stomach Ulcer Bacteria Could Be a Surprise Ally Against Alzheimer's Early Signs of Cancer Found in Patient Blood 3 Years Before Diagnosis Fecal Transplants Present a Concerning Risk For Some, Study Finds
WIRED
17-06-2025
- Science
- WIRED
Scientists Discover the Key to Axolotls' Ability to Regenerate Limbs
Jun 17, 2025 5:00 AM A new study reveals the key lies not in the production of a regrowth molecule, but in that molecule's controlled destruction. The discovery could inspire future regenerative medicine. Axolotls in Professor James Monaghan's laboratory. Photograph: Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University The axolotl seems like something out of science fiction. This perpetually youthful-looking Mexican salamander possesses a superpower that defies biology as we know it: the ability to regenerate entire limbs, parts of its heart, and even its spinal cord. But how does an amputated limb know whether to regenerate an entire arm from the shoulder down or just a hand from the wrist? This mystery of 'positional identity' has fascinated scientists for decades. A team at Northeastern University, led by James Monaghan, has unraveled a key piece of this biological puzzle. In a study published in Nature Communications, the researchers reveal an elegant molecular mechanism that acts like a GPS coordinate system for regenerating cells. Surprisingly, the secret lies not in producing more of a chemical signal, but in how quickly it is destroyed. Monaghan's lab houses about 500 axolotls cared for by a team ranging from undergraduate students to postdocs. 'Raising axolotls involves managing a complex aquatic system and being patient, as they reach sexual maturity within a year. It's slower than with other model organisms, but also more exciting. In many experiments, the team is exploring completely new terrain,' Monaghan says. For more than two decades, Monaghan's lab has been studying the axolotl to understand how it regenerates complex organs such as its limbs, spinal cord, heart, and tail. His lab's research focuses on uncovering why nerves are essential to this process and what unique cellular properties allow axolotls to regenerate tissues that other animals cannot. These findings could transform our understanding of bodily regeneration and have important applications in regenerative medicine. James Monaghan at work in the lab. Photograph: Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University 'For years we've known that retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A, is a crucial molecule that screams to cells 'build a shoulder!'' explains Monaghan. 'But the puzzle was how the cells in the regenerating limb-stump controlled their levels so precisely to know exactly where they were on the axis from shoulder to hand.' To unpick this mystery, the team focused on a cluster of stem cells that form at the wound site after a limb is lost in animals like the axolotl that are capable of regeneration. Known as the blastema, it's this base of stem cells that then orchestrates regeneration. The prevailing theory was that differences in retinoic acid production might explain why a shoulder (proximal) amputation leads to an entire limb being regenerated, while a wrist (distal) amputation only regenerates the hand. 'Our big surprise was to discover that the key was not in how much retinoic acid was produced, but in how it was degraded,' says Monaghan. The team discovered that cells in the distal part of the limb, the wrist, are awash in an enzyme called CYP26B1, whose sole function is to destroy retinoic acid. In contrast, cells in the shoulder have hardly any of this enzyme, allowing retinoic acid to accumulate to high levels. This difference creates a chemical gradient along the limb: lots of retinoic acid in the shoulder, little in the wrist. It is this gradient that informs cells of their exact location. In humans, this pathway of cellular plasticity is absent or closed. 'Therefore, the great challenge is to understand how to induce this blastemal state in our cells, a key transient structure in regeneration. If achieved, it would be possible for our cells to respond again to positional and regenerative signals, as they do in the axolotl,' explains the researcher. Tricking the Cells Into Over-Regenerating To confirm their discovery, the researchers conducted an experiment. They amputated axolotl legs at the wrist and administered a drug called talarozole, which inhibits the CYP26B1 enzyme. By 'turning off the brakes,' retinoic acid accumulated to extremely high levels in a place where it normally shouldn't. As a result the wrist cells, 'confused' by the high concentration of retinoic acid, interpreted position as being the shoulder. Instead of regenerating a hand, they proceeded to regenerate a complete, duplicated limb. 'It was the ultimate test,' Monaghan says. Different limb regenerations of axolotls treated with talarozole. Photograph: Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University The team went a step further to identify which genes were activated by these high levels of retinoic acid. They discovered a master gene that was specifically activated in shoulder areas: Shox . An abbreviation of 'short stature homeobox gene,' Shox is so called because mutations to it in humans cause short stature. 'We identified Shox as a critical instruction manual in this process,' Monaghan explains. 'It's the gene that tells developing cells to 'build the arm and forearm bones.'' To confirm this, the team used Crispr gene-editing technology to knock out the Shox gene in axolotl embryos. The resulting animals had peculiar limbs: normal-sized hands and fingers, but significantly shorter and underdeveloped arms and forearms. This demonstrated that Shox is essential for shaping proximal, but not distal, structures, revealing that regeneration uses distinct genetic programs for each limb segment. This study not only solves a long-standing mystery of regenerative biology, but also provides a molecular road map. By understanding how the axolotl reads and executes its genetic instructions for regeneration, scientists can begin to think about how, someday, we might learn to write our own genetic instructions. An axolotl. Photograph: Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University 'The axolotl has cellular properties that we want to understand at the deepest level,' says Monaghan. 'While regeneration of a complete human limb is still in the realm of science fiction, each time we discover a piece of this genetic blueprint, such as the role of CYP26B1 and Shox , we move one step closer to understanding how to orchestrate complex tissue repair in humans.' To bring this science closer to clinical applications, one crucial step is to succeed in inducing blastema formations of stem cells at sites of amputation in humans. 'This is the 'holy grail' of regenerative biology. Understanding the minimal components that make it up—the molecular signals, the cellular environment, the physiological conditions—would allow us to transform a scar into a regenerative tissue,' explains Monaghan. In his current research, there are still gaps to be filled: how the CYP26B1 gradient is regulated, how retinoic acid connects to the Shox gene, and what downstream factors determine the formation of specific structures, such as the humerus or radius bones. From Healing to Regeneration Monaghan explains that axolotls do not possess a 'magic gene' for regeneration, but share the same fundamental genes as humans. 'The key difference lies in the accessibility of those genes. While an injury in humans activates genes that induce scarring, in salamanders there is cell de-differentiation : the cells return to an embryonic-like state, where they can respond to signals such as retinoic acid. This ability to return to a 'developmental state' is the basis of their regeneration,' explains the researcher. So, if humans have the same genes, why can't we regenerate? 'The difference is that the salamander can reaccess that [developmental] program after injury.' Humans cannot—they only access this development pathway during initial growth before birth. 'We've had selective pressure to shut down and heal,' Monaghan says. 'My dream, and the community's dream, is to understand how to make the transition from scar to blastema.' James Monaghan. Photograph: Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University Monaghan says that, in theory, it would not be necessary to modify human DNA to induce regeneration, but to intervene at the right time and place in the body with regulatory molecules. For example, the molecular pathways that signal a cell to be located in the elbow on the pinky side—and not the thumb—could be reactivated in a regenerative environment using technologies such as Crispr. 'This understanding could be applied in stem cell therapies. Currently, laboratory-grown stem cells do not know 'where they are' when they are transplanted. If they can be programmed with precise positional signals, they could integrate properly into damaged tissues and contribute to structural regeneration, such as forming a complete humerus,' says the researcher. After years of work, understanding the role of retinoic acid—studied since 1981—is a source of deep satisfaction for Monaghan. The scientist imagines a future where a patch placed on a wound can reactivate developmental programs in human cells, emulating the regenerative mechanism of the salamander. Although not immediate, he believes that cell engineering to induce regeneration is a goal already within the reach of science. He reflects on how the axolotl has had a second scientific life. 'It was a dominant model a hundred years ago, then fell into disuse for decades, and has now reemerged thanks to modern tools such as gene editing and cell analysis. The team can study any gene and cell during the regenerative process. In addition, the axolotl has become a cultural icon of tenderness and rarity.' This story originally appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.
Washington Post
10-06-2025
- Science
- Washington Post
These glowing axolotls may hold the secret to human limb regeneration
With a silly smile and frilly gills, the axolotl has wriggled its way into the hearts of millions, becoming a popular aquarium pet and pop-culture icon in video games, children's books and toy stores. But this adorable species of salamander is also helping researchers investigate a serious medical mystery: Could the human body be coaxed to regrow a severed arm or leg? Scientists are turning to the axolotl because it is an expert at regeneration. After losing a limb, an adult axolotl can grow it back fresh and new. In a study published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday, scientists used axolotls genetically engineered to glow in the dark to understand the molecular underpinnings of this amazing trait. 'This species is special,' said James Monaghan, a Northeastern University biologist who led the research. They've 'really become the champion of some extreme abilities that animals have.' Although critically endangered in the wild in Mexico, axolotls have been kept and studied in labs since the 19th century. They are known for being, naturally, forever young. Unlike other amphibians such as frogs, axolotls never go through full metamorphosis, instead retaining into adulthood certain juvenile characteristics such as external gills and webbed feet that make them look so weirdly cute to their human admirers. The species is also a comeback king, able to regrow not only lost limbs but also tissue in the heart, lungs and even the brain. One marvel is that to enable a body part to grow back, the cells responsible for that growth need to somehow register where they are on the body. If an amputation is at the upper arm, for example, they have to re-create upper arm, then the lower arm and finally, the hand. But if it's at the lower arm, the cells have to know to grow back just the lower arm and hand. 'Salamanders have been famous for their ability to regenerate arms for centuries,' Monaghan said. 'One of the outstanding questions that has really plagued the field is how a salamander knows what to grow back.' For their study, Monaghan and his colleagues investigated a tiny molecule called retinoic acid that seems to be responsible for this careful choreography. A derivative of vitamin A, it is known for its regenerative ability and is related to retinol found in skin-care products. 'Anyone that watches TV for 30 minutes watches a skin commercial with retinol,' Monaghan said. His team worked with axolotls that had been genetically engineered so that their tissue glows in the presence of the acid, allowing real-time tracking of its presence. Then, in the name of vitally important science, the researchers did something that might strike some axolotl fans as shocking: they severed axolotl arms. Monaghan said his team anesthetized the axolotls before the procedure and closely monitored their health. 'Importantly, they don't show signs of pain or distress after limb amputation the way mammals might, and they regenerate fully within weeks,' he said. When given a drug that blocks an enzyme responsible for breaking down retinoic acid, the axolotls regrew their missing limbs incorrectly, with an upper arm sprouting out where a forearm should be. A control group of animals that did not receive the drug regenerated normally. The work suggests that retinoic acid acts like a GPS device, helping cells to determine their location: the higher the concentration of the acid, the closer to the center of the body. The chemical appears to activate a gene or genes within the cells to regulate limb growth. 'While we are still far from regenerating human limbs, this study is a step in that direction,' said Prayag Murawala, an assistant professor at MDI Biological Laboratory in Maine. His lab helped Monaghan produce the genetically engineered animals used in the study, but was otherwise not involved in the research. 'Better understanding of gene regulatory circuit is essential if we have to re-create this in humans,' Murawala said. When it comes to human limb regeneration, Monaghan noted that every cell already contains in its DNA the blueprints to rebuild body parts. 'We all have the same genes,' he said. 'We've all made these limbs when we were embryos.' The question now is figuring out the right chemical signals to unlock those early developmental instructions in humans after birth, as axolotls are able to do. 'It's one of the oldest questions in biology, but it's also the most futuristic-looking,' he said. When Monaghan began his research two decades ago, 'most people didn't know what an axolotl was.' But for the past decade the animal has been an obsession for kids, boosted in popularity after debuting in the video game 'Minecraft' in 2021. 'It's a little surreal,' he said. 'You just see axolotls at the airport, axolotls at the mall. My kids are coming home with axolotl toys all the time, because people know what I do.'
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists stunned by species' remarkable behavior after being moved from captivity to wild: 'This is pretty big news'
The axolotl — an often smiley-faced salamander known for its ability to regenerate limbs and organs — is showing new powers of adaptability, as individuals bred in captivity are surviving releases into the wild, according to a recent study. The research has sparked optimism for protecting these unusual creatures that are critically endangered in their native habitat, NPR reported in early May. Researchers tracked 18 axolotls that had been bred in captivity and released in artificial and restored natural wetlands in southern Mexico City in 2017 and 2018, per the news outlet. They found that animals in the study were hunting, eating, and avoiding predators. The axolotls weren't just surviving but thriving and gaining weight. "This is pretty big news because when you have animals in captivity, they lose a lot of their behaviors," Alejandra Ramos, the study's lead researcher, told NPR. "Like, they don't know how to recognize a predator, they don't know how to catch prey, and so we were a bit nervous when we released them because we didn't know if they were going to be able to survive." Axolotls — whose name is connected to Xolotl, the Aztec fire and lightning god — are sometimes called Mexican salamanders, water monsters, or water dogs. Native to lakes in the Mexico City area, they have caught the attention of animal lovers the world over for their distinctive colors and seemingly amiable expressions. They've even become popular pets. Only about 50 to 1,000 axolotl adults live in the wild, though, according to the Natural History Museum in London. Their numbers have dropped significantly because of factors such as habitat loss and environmental change — sometimes connected to pollution and global temperature increases — as well as overfishing, collection by humans, and dangers from invasive species. The discovery that captive-bred axolotls can be reintroduced to natural habitats offers hope that wild populations could be re-established. On top of this is the good news that the study's salamanders were able to survive in habitats created by and restored by humans — which bodes well for local preservation efforts. "If axolotls could survive in man-made habitats, it could help scale back the damaging effects of habitat degradation and climate change," the NPR report summarized. Saving axolotls could have specific benefits to people, as scientists are still working to understand the animals' cancer-resistant qualities and regenerative bodies. The hope is that studying their unique characteristics could lead to breakthroughs for human health. Meanwhile, there is strong support for protecting axolotls for their own sake and as indicators of healthy, functioning habitats. There have even been programs to adopt axolotls to save them. Should the government be paying people to hunt invasive species? Definitely Depends on the animal No way Just let people do it for free Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. In the NPR report, Ramos noted a special significance for the Mexican researchers. "They're part of our culture, they're part of our history. And that makes them really special to us," she said. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
