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Can Axolotls Teach Us to Grow New Fingers? | Tumble Episode

  • 1 day ago
  • 2 min read
Cartoon mice in a magnifying glass, smiling in a green outdoor setting. A hand holds the glass. "Tumble Science" logo visible.

Why do we have five fingers, and not five, six or seven? And if we lose a finger, why can't we grow it back? In this episode you'll meet a scientist named Jessica Whited who's on a mission to learn the answer to those questions. She's studying Axolotls to see if we can learn their secrets to growing limbs after they've been lost.


🎧 Listen to the Episode


🦎What Kids Will Learn

  • Why most humans have five fingers — and how evolution and our common ancestors shaped our hands.

  • How limbs form before we’re born, starting as tiny limb buds that grow and organize into fingers.

  • How axolotls regrow entire limbs using a structure called a blastema — and how scientists hope that knowledge could one day help humans heal.


A photo of scientist Charley Wu in a hallway.

🔎About The Featured Experts

Jessica Whited, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at Harvard University whose research focuses on understanding how axolotl salamanders regrow limbs — work that could one day help scientists develop new ways to heal injuries in humans. She earned degrees in philosophy and biological sciences from the University of Missouri and a Ph.D. from MIT, followed by postdoctoral training in regenerative biology at Harvard Medical School. Outside the lab, Jessica grew up exploring nature and now enjoys spending time with her twin sons.



🧑‍🏫 Classroom & Home Resources

🔗 NGSS Alignment: 4-LS1-1, MS-LS1-3, 3-LS3-1

📜Crosscutting Concepts: Structure & Function

📚 Learn More:

  • Learn more about Axolotls on Animal Diversity Web's page here.

  • Jessica's lab page, where you can read more about her research and see some awesome axolotl pictures


💬 Discussion Questions

  1. Do you think it's a good idea to study how humans can regrow limbs? Why or why not?

  2. Why do you think evolution “kept” five fingers for humans — and how might our lives be different if we had four, six, or even more?


📚 For Teachers: Explore our Audio Courses for NGSS-aligned science learning.


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