How do animals rebuild their limbs? And why can't humans do it? - Jessica Whited episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 1, 2026 · 7 MIN

How do animals rebuild their limbs? And why can't humans do it? - Jessica Whited

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Explore the incredible regenerative capacity of salamanders, and see how they’re able to regrow limbs, hearts, and even brain tissue.--For some animals, losing a limb is a decidedly permanent affair. But for salamanders, particularly axolotls, amputation is just a temporary affliction. Not only can they grow back entire limbs in as little as six weeks, they can also regenerate heart and even brain tissue. So, how does this astonishing adaptation work? Jessica Whited explores the incredible regenerative capacity of salamanders.Lesson by Jessica Whited, directed by Anton Bogaty.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-animals-regrow-their-limbs-and-why-can-t-humans-do-it-jessica-whitedDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-animals-regrow-their-limbs-and-why-can-t-humans-do-it-jessica-whited/digdeeperAnimator's website: https://antonbogaty.com----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Jezabel, Abdullah Abdulaziz, Xiao Yu, Melissa Suarez, Brian A. Dunn, Francisco Amaya, Daisuke Goto, Matt Switzler, Peng, Tzu-Hsiang, Bethany Connor, Jeremy Shimanek, Mark Byers, Avinash Amarnath, Xuebicoco, Rayo, Po Foon Kwong, Boffin, Jesse Jurman, Scott Markley, Elija Peterson, Ovidiu Mrd, paul g mohney, Steven Razey, Nathan Giusti, Helen Lee, Anthony Benedict, Karthik Balsubramanian, Annastasshia Ames, Amy Lopez, Vinh-Thuy Nguyen, Liz Candee, Ugur Doga Sezgin, Karmi Nguyen, John C. Vesey, Yelena Baykova, Nick Johnson, Carlos H. Costa, Jennifer Kurkoski, Ryan B Harvey, Akinola Emmanuel, Jose Arcadio Valdes Franco, Sebastiaan Vleugels, Karl Laius, JY Kang, Abhishek Goel, Heidi Stolt, Nicole Sund, Karlee Finch, Mario Mejia and Denise A Pitts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the incredible regenerative capacity of salamanders, and see how they’re able to regrow limbs, hearts, and even brain tissue.--For some animals, losing a limb is a decidedly permanent affair. But for salamanders, particularly axolotls, amputation is just a temporary affliction. Not only can they grow back entire limbs in as little as six weeks, they can also regenerate heart and even brain tissue. So, how does this astonishing adaptation work? Jessica Whited explores the incredible regenerative capacity of salamanders.Lesson by Jessica Whited, directed by Anton Bogaty.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-animals-regrow-their-limbs-and-why-can-t-humans-do-it-jessica-whitedDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-animals-regrow-their-limbs-and-why-can-t-humans-do-it-jessica-whited/digdeeperAnimator's website: https://antonbogaty.com----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Jezabel, Abdullah Abdulaziz, Xiao Yu, Melissa Suarez, Brian A. Dunn, Francisco Amaya, Daisuke Goto, Matt Switzler, Peng, Tzu-Hsiang, Bethany Connor, Jeremy Shimanek, Mark Byers, Avinash Amarnath, Xuebicoco, Rayo, Po Foon Kwong, Boffin, Jesse Jurman, Scott Markley, Elija Peterson, Ovidiu Mrd, paul g mohney, Steven Razey, Nathan Giusti, Helen Lee, Anthony Benedict, Karthik Balsubramanian, Annastasshia Ames, Amy Lopez, Vinh-Thuy Nguyen, Liz Candee, Ugur Doga Sezgin, Karmi Nguyen, John C. Vesey, Yelena Baykova, Nick Johnson, Carlos H. Costa, Jennifer Kurkoski, Ryan B Harvey, Akinola Emmanuel, Jose Arcadio Valdes Franco, Sebastiaan Vleugels, Karl Laius, JY Kang, Abhishek Goel, Heidi Stolt, Nicole Sund, Karlee Finch, Mario Mejia and Denise A Pitts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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How do animals rebuild their limbs? And why can't humans do it? - Jessica Whited

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This episode was published on June 1, 2026.

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Explore the incredible regenerative capacity of salamanders, and see how they’re able to regrow limbs, hearts, and even brain tissue.--For some animals, losing a limb is a decidedly permanent affair. But for salamanders, particularly axolotls,...

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