Lens Regeneration in the Newt, Triturus viridescens: A Teacher-Student Research Project

Abstract

The purpose of this article is two-fold. First, acquainting the reader with the process of lens regeneration. The ability of animals to regenerate missing parts such as limbs and tails has received considerable attention, and I am sure most biology teachers have read articles dealing with regenerating planaria and salamander limbs and tails. The process of lens regeneration, on the other hand, is usually mentioned only in passing as an example of another tissue which can regenerate. Although the capacity to regenerate a missing lens in an adult animal is a unique attribute of only a single family of Urodele amphibians, the Salamandridae, the experimental procedures which have been employed to elucidate the factors involved in this process are so straightforward that the subject could very effectively be included in a high school biology course as illustrative material in a number of places. If the teacher is looking for another example of the scientific method at work, for instance, the experiments described herein will provide material which even the most well-read among the students will find new and interesting. The second purpose of this article is to describe the development of this teacher-student project at East Leyden High School.