Salamanders, classified in the order Urodela (or Caudata), are amphibians characterized by an elongated body, tail retention throughout life, and typically four limbs of relatively similar size. They exhibit diverse life histories, including fully aquatic, semi-aquatic, and terrestrial forms, with many species showing biphasic development from gilled larvae to lung- or skin-breathing adults, while others are paedomorphic. Gas exchange occurs through combinations of lungs, gills, and highly vascularized skin, and many taxa exhibit cutaneous toxin secretion. Salamanders play key roles in freshwater and forest ecosystems and are important model organisms for studies of regeneration, development, and evolutionary biology.
If the eastern red-backed salamander has an equivalent of Usain Bolt, Sophia Zaslow is determined to find it. Since her undergraduate years, the Binghamton University doctoral student in biological sciences has conducted ...
Plants & Animals
May 26, 2026
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The Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is famous because adults look like overgrown babies, or tadpoles, retaining juvenile features as adults and capable of remarkable regeneration of lost limbs or tails. New studies ...
For centuries, the inability to regrow lost body parts has been considered a defining limitation of humans and other mammals. While animals like salamanders can regenerate entire limbs, humans are left with scar tissue. But ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 23, 2026
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Investigating a common gene in three very different species—salamanders, mice and zebrafish—scientists have discovered the potential for a novel gene therapy aimed at eventually regrowing limbs in humans, according to new ...
Biotechnology
Apr 16, 2026
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Some animals can regrow lost body parts. Salamanders and frog tadpoles can rebuild entire limbs after amputation. Mammals cannot. For decades, biologists have tried to understand why. Now a team led by Can Aztekin at EPFL ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 9, 2026
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The ability to sense environmental temperature, which helps animals move away from suboptimal locations and find those with ideal temperatures, involves various channels on sensory neurons that open at specific temperature ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 25, 2026
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In a dry riverbed in Brazil, in a dense forest near the Amazon, a team of paleontologists found a fossilized jawbone from an ancient animal. Over the course of their fieldwork, they found eight similar bones, each around ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Mar 3, 2026
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A study conducted by researchers at the University of Liège on a large population of Japanese giant salamanders—one of the largest amphibians in the world—reveals that above a certain size, a spectacular transition occurs ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 5, 2026
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The axolotl, a type of salamander that stays in the tadpole form throughout its life, is a master of regeneration. Axolotls have been observed to regrow several body parts, including limbs, eyes, and even parts of their brains.
