How do axolotls regrow parts of their bodies–including their brains?

But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids

Vermont Public

Nature, Language, Kids & Family, Science

4.4 • 4.9K Ratings

🗓️ 27 January 2023

⏱️ 21 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In addition to having faces that look like a smiley emoticon, axolotls are as fascinating to scientific researchers as they are to kids because of their amazing ability to regenerate parts of their bodies, including their brains! In this episode we answer kids' questions about these curious salamanders with Dr. Randal Voss, a professor at the University of Kentucky. That lab alone has thousands of axolotls, but these creatures are critically endangered in the wild, where they live exclusively in the depleted and polluted waterways of Mexico City’s Lake Xochimilco. Questions we tackle in this episode: How do axolotls regrow parts of their brains? What did axolotls evolve from? Can axolotls survive out of water?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's Jane, but this isn't the start of the show.
0:06.0	Before we get into this awesome episode, I want to see if you want to be part of an upcoming
0:10.8	one.
0:11.8	Here's the deal.
0:13.1	You know how sometimes adults say things that sound maybe not quite totally true?
0:20.2	Call them parental myths or urban legends.
0:23.4	Things like eating carrots will help you see in the dark.
0:26.4	Or watching too much TV will fry your brain.
0:29.2	Or you'll get sick if you don't wear your hat and mittens in the cold.
0:32.9	Or even make sure you wait an hour after eating before going for a swim.
0:38.0	We're going to do an episode exploring where the truth or fiction is in these popular sayings.
0:45.4	And we want to know from you kids what your adults say that you want us to investigate.
0:50.7	And adults say goes for you.
0:52.0	You can send us what your adults said and maybe you still repeat to kids today that you
0:57.3	think might be mostly wrong but maybe with a grain of truth in there somewhere.
1:02.8	Record yourselves and your kids explaining what sayings you want us to look into.
1:07.6	You can use a free recording app on a smartphone and then send the file to questions at but
1:13.0	why kids.org.
1:15.2	Our deadline is February 5th.
1:17.9	We can't wait to hear what you send us.
1:45.7	This is a podcast from Vermont Public.
1:49.6	I'm Jane Lynn Tome.
	...

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