Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Axolotls: How the endangered amphibian is making a comeback
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Axolotls: How the endangered amphibian is making a comeback
Axolotls are only found in the wild in one place in the world; an area of wetland just outside Mexico City. They are one of the world’s most endangered, and arguably most adorable, amphibians. Not just meme-worthy, they are also scientifically fascinating - they don’t really age and they can regrow body parts, including their brains.
Very few are left in the wild, but now scientists have released captive-bred axolotls back into the wetlands and found that they not only survived, but even put on a bit of weight.
BBC science correspondent Victoria Gill talks us through the study and explains what scientists can learn from these amazing creatures.
And Assistant Professor Prayag Murawala from the MDI Biological Laboratory in the US, describes what we know about how axolotls regenerate their own body parts.
Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Chelsea Coates, Emily Horler and Julia Ross-Roy
Editor: Harriet Oliver
View all episodes
By BBC World Service
4.7
1212 ratings
Axolotls are only found in the wild in one place in the world; an area of wetland just outside Mexico City. They are one of the world’s most endangered, and arguably most adorable, amphibians. Not just meme-worthy, they are also scientifically fascinating - they don’t really age and they can regrow body parts, including their brains.
Very few are left in the wild, but now scientists have released captive-bred axolotls back into the wetlands and found that they not only survived, but even put on a bit of weight.
BBC science correspondent Victoria Gill talks us through the study and explains what scientists can learn from these amazing creatures.
And Assistant Professor Prayag Murawala from the MDI Biological Laboratory in the US, describes what we know about how axolotls regenerate their own body parts.
Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Chelsea Coates, Emily Horler and Julia Ross-Roy
Editor: Harriet Oliver
More shows like What in the World
View all
The Documentary Podcast
1,837 Listeners
Global News Podcast
7,723 Listeners
Science Weekly
407 Listeners
Business Daily
537 Listeners
Discovery
954 Listeners
World Business Report
287 Listeners
Unexpected Elements
355 Listeners
Business Matters
47 Listeners
Tech Life
57 Listeners
The Inquiry
754 Listeners
CrowdScience
475 Listeners
People Fixing the World
244 Listeners
Learning English from the News
257 Listeners
The Explanation
28 Listeners
The Global Story
168 Listeners