Our take on this may be a little biased, but we feel like this magazine’s readership may agree: the white-tailed deer is one of the most iconic wildlife species of North America. One of the most notable features of this species includes its breeding system: males in intense competition with each other, growing a new set of antlers each year, and using those antlers as both displays and weaponry. Among the myriad of curiosities we all hold about deer, antlers may be considered, quite literally, one of the crown jewels of the Cervid family. We love antlers and we know you do, too. However, the fascination we have with these structures extends beyond us deer fanatics and into the minds of the medical field. Grown and shed every year, antlers have been the subject of researchers seeking to understand more about mammalian tissue regeneration. By better understanding the physiology of deer antler regeneration, scientists may gain an understanding for the potential of tissue regeneration in humans.
TISSUE REGENERATION ACROSS THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
As humans, we lack the ability to regrow appendages or entire organs once they are lost. However, examples of tissue regeneration are widespread throughout the animal kingdom, ranging from replacement of small appendages to regrowth of neurons and in some cases, most of the body. Well-known examples of this can be seen in invertebrates such as starfish, which are capable of growing an entire body from as little as one severed arm. Worms provide another well-known example of regeneration. If a worm is cut in
