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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Mice grow ‘mini-antlers’ thanks to deers’ speedy stem cells

The cells regenerate masses of bone and cartilage every year.
A stained microscopic image of an ectopic antler in a nude mouse

A microscopic view of a slice through an antler-like structure grown from antler-regenerating stem cells. Credit: T. Qin et al./Science

Every spring, deer lose their antlers; by early autumn, they have a new set. These bony headgear sprout by about 2.75 centimetres a day, one of the fastest rates of bone growth among mammals.

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Nature 615, 190 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-00567-3

References

  1. Qin, T. et al. Science 379, 840–847 (2023).

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