Forever young and possessing an immortal body—could the real-life "Sun Wukong" actually be this?
Release time:
2025.09.28
Eight postdoctoral researchers share science outreach.
This Issue's Introduction
Even being sliced into a thousand pieces and ten thousand cuts can still keep you alive! But knowing about nematodes isn’t enough—have you ever heard of planarians?
Nearly "immortal"! Why exactly do planarians possess such remarkable regenerative abilities?
What new hope can planarians bring to humanity? In fact, cutting-edge fields have already begun exploring this...
Summary
In the Ming Dynasty's supernatural novel *Journey to the West*, Sun Wukong is incredibly powerful—unafraid of being cut or wounded by swords and blades, even if his head is chopped off, he won’t die. Moreover, he can pluck a few strands of his monkey hair to "clone" numerous "little Wukongs," who join him in battle. Even Laozi’s Eight Trigrams Furnace couldn’t harm him—truly making him an immortal with unyielding vitality!
Among Marvel's seemingly omnipotent superheroes, there's Deadpool, who bears the "Curse of Immortality." With his limitless regenerative abilities, he defies even the "Book of Life and Death," recklessly charging ahead on a path of self-destruction—only to find himself ultimately trapped in an endless cycle of "wanting death but never getting it."
Is there anyone else who wants this curse? ?
Image source: Wikipedia
Actually, In nature, there truly exists a group of organisms that aren’t afraid of being cut or wounded by blades—and can even “ Cloning ” Create countless versions of yourself!
They are the planarians, famously known for their seemingly immortal bodies!
4 Month 24 Beijing Time, China 17 Time 17 Points
A seemingly ordinary planarian
Head to the Chinese Space Station “ Performing the task ”
Assisting scientists in their research
How human cells overcome aging
Issues such as delaying aging
Previously, Director of the Application Development Office, Center for Space Applications Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Researcher Zhang Wei Already being accepted by China Youth Daily · A reporter from China Youth Online revealed in an exclusive interview, “ This year's Shenzhou spacecraft will carry dozens of planarian fragments into space! ”
Why choose “ Planarian ”？
A few days ago, Shandong University of Technology Publishing for educational purposes:
According to the experimental arrangement, Researchers from Shandong University of Technology Carefully select healthy, vibrant, and appropriately sized planarians for dissection, They cut pieces from different planarians. 48 The segments were individually placed into planarian chips and then transferred to a culture pool, where they were set up in a constant-temperature incubator. , ensuring that the planarians are kept in a suitable environment throughout their journey from the ground to the space station!
Image source: CCTV News
According to reports,
The research team from the School of Life Sciences and Medicine at Shandong University of Technology
Research on planarians has been ongoing for nearly 20 Years of scientific research accumulation
In planarian development and regeneration, immunity, and aging
Effective research has been conducted in the area of toxicology.
Meanwhile, netizens have expressed their opinions one after another.
Netizen: What’s Mom up to?
The regenerative and immune properties of planarians
Enough to spark the wildest imagination.
Since ancient times, criticism has produced talented individuals.
These remarks also left people both laughing and sighing. ...
Everyone also expressed their views.
I'm really curious about why planarians can regenerate.
So
Why does China's space station travel such a long distance?
Invite these “ Tiny tot ” Embarking for space?
What breakthroughs can they bring to scientific research?
Understand in one article!
One NEWS
Even being sliced into a thousand pieces and ten thousand cuts can still keep you alive! But knowing about nematodes isn’t enough—have you ever heard of planarians?
2024 The Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine for the year ， From “ Stop growing ” The nematodes set off, At the minuscule RNA Made groundbreaking contributions to the field. Nematodes have also earned several scientists the Nobel Prize.
And the nematode's “ Good brother ” Planarian, It also has intricate connections with the Nobel Prize, Still the surface “ The Mightiest King of Regeneration ”， Don't say it “ Cut ties cleanly ” , Even if “ Cut into a thousand pieces and ten thousand slices ”， Even body fragments can regenerate into fully formed individuals. It is precisely because of their remarkable regenerative ability that planarians kept under normal conditions are almost considered “ Immortality ”！
Do you know?
Planarian and Human Genomes The similarity is as high as 80% The above
What is a planarian?
Planarians are the general term for animals belonging to the phylum Platyhelminthes and the class Turbellaria. The family has over a hundred members, scattered across the globe—found in freshwater, marine environments, and even in moist terrestrial habitats, where their flat forms are easily spotted.
A wide variety of planarians
Image source: nature
Planarians have flexible bodies—some are slender and noodle-like, with heads that widen into triangular or spade-shaped forms, while others resemble oval-shaped pancakes. Body lengths range from a few millimeters to nearly half a meter, The color scheme is also quite vibrant, featuring black, blue, brown, and white.
Planarians are mostly sensitive to light and typically emerge at night, hiding on the bottom of water or in dark corners—making them relatively inconspicuous in everyday life. ......
Head shape and pigment distribution are key features for identifying planarians.
Planarians are a type of relatively “ Original ” Of the organism : They lack a respiratory system and rely entirely on their moist body walls to absorb oxygen and expel carbon dioxide; The cilia on its abdominal epidermis can move rhythmically when moist, enabling it to crawl. —— This also limits them to living only underwater or in moist environments!
Goo Wormer
Video source: YouTube
Looking again at the back of the planarian's head, there are two small dark spots that look quite funny. —— This is the planarian's eyespot, They have only primitive eyes (dark spots with pigment deposits), capable of detecting light and dark but unable to form images.
Or “ Matching eyes ”
Some planarians also have multiple eye spots.
The most interesting part is coming!
Reincarnation with memories?
But when it comes to the planarian's most celebrated skill, it's undoubtedly its regenerative ability. —— In their bodies Full of stem cells (Critical) ， Once the body is damaged or impaired, it can not only return to its original state but also achieve self-repair. “ Cloning ”： If you cut a planarian into several segments, within just a few weeks, each tiny fragment can regenerate into a complete planarian!
Due to their simple nervous systems
Planarians hardly feel pain when cut—they only experience pressure.
There are also experiments that show, These planarian clones can still retain the original organism's memories. —— Once upon a time, scientists trained planarians to respond to specific lights, The individual regenerated from being chopped up surprisingly still retains this skill!
Tug-of-war competition?
A planarian induced to develop two heads
Another benefit of regeneration is its remarkable ability to stave off hunger. —— When food is scarce, planarians will retain only “ Life-threatening ” Components (Such as the nervous system) actively digestes relatively less critical components (like the reproductive system), recycling proteins to ensure the most essential metabolic needs are met!
So, what secrets are actually hidden within the planarian's body? Why can it be so strong? I'm sure many questions are swirling in everyone's minds! Now, let's continue getting to know planarians. ——“ The Sun Wukong of the Biological World ”......
Two NEWS
Nearly “ Immortality ” Why on earth do planarians possess such remarkable regenerative abilities?
Where does such remarkable regenerative ability come from?
How do planarians sense which part of their tissue they’ve lost and regenerate it perfectly? Is it possible for us to apply this regenerative ability to the human body? At “ Regeneration Laboratory ” Researchers are working hard to unravel these mysteries!
, Duration 01:13
Precisely because of these “ Superpower ” Scientists believe that studying planarians holds significant importance for exploring topics such as human cell anti-aging and delaying the aging process. ......
Planarians belong to the phylum Platyhelminthes, class Turbellaria, and are typically long 2 Millimeters to 10 Varies by centimeters
Why do planarians possess such remarkable regenerative abilities? Actually, to put it simply, In the tiny planarian In the small body, there is something called “Neoblasts” The adult pluripotent stem cell population (also known as neoblasts)!
“ Du Nang ” Definition
This stem cell population accounts for a significant portion of their total cell count. 25%， Due to the large number of stem cells, it is easy to label them using biochemical methods during research, and changes in the size of these stem cell populations—such as increases or decreases—are relatively straightforward to observe and quantify. This provides tremendous convenience for scientific research!
Planarian: Cut me once, and I'll grow into countless copies of myself!
Meanwhile, planarians are among the few organisms that can still maintain pluripotent stem cells within their bodies even after embryogenesis. This pluripotent stem cell population can continuously differentiate into all cell types derived from the three germ layers, enabling growth, regeneration, and the replacement of apoptotic cells!
Moreover, the gene homology between planarians and human genes exceeds 80%， Planarian stem cells exhibit remarkably similar early responses after injury as those seen in humans and other higher organisms!
In other words
As long as Neoblasts Keep one, and the planarian is endless.
Under injury conditions
Within the planarian's body neoblasts Migration, proliferation, and differentiation
And a schematic diagram of the tissue repair process
A 、 Under normal conditions neoblasts The distribution pattern within the planarian body is primarily uniform across both sides of the body. ;
B 、 After the planarian body is damaged, neoblasts Start supporting the injured area ;
C 、 Migrated to the wound site neoblasts Begin to proliferate extensively ;
D 、 Heavily proliferated neoblasts It can differentiate into various tissues and cells, as well as repair damaged tissues and organs.
When planarians are injured, pluripotent stem cells quickly respond by migrating to the damaged site and initiating the differentiation process. Inducing the formation of new bud structures. Within just one week, the damaged planarian can regenerate not only its nervous, excretory, digestive, and reproductive systems—but even its entire brain!
American biologist Sanchez Alvarado The leader's team Find one through experimentation neoblast 2 Subtype No. Nb2 ) cells, It is the key to planarian regeneration. Additionally Nb2 The West has consistently appeared within planarians, but gene activity only increases—and produces abundant tetraspanins—when they are injured!
Additionally, the planarian's regenerative process also involves intricate intercellular communication mechanisms. Research shows that wounds emit signal waves, triggering responses in tissues located farther away and thereby promoting whole-body regeneration. For example, research on the Mediterranean planarian has uncovered a key regulatory gene. plk1 , used for blastocyst formation and regeneration!
What role does this regulatory gene play? The gene works by controlling ERK Signal wave, These cells are just like “ Super Highway ” , accelerating the signal from one end of the body to the other. The time has been shortened from what was previously thought—days—to just a few hours!
What will planarians do on the Chinese space station? “ Task ”？
This space journey of the planarian, The Chinese space station will utilize “ Life and Ecological Experiment Cabinet ” Within the “ Small Universal Biological Culture Module ” Create a dedicated space lab for planarians!
Researchers will use planarians at various developmental stages as their subjects, initiating their regenerative processes onboard the spacecraft. At critical time points, they will collect samples from the planarians. A deep investigation into the specific effects of the spatial environment on planarian regeneration, morphogenesis, and physiological behaviors. ...
Meanwhile, They will also delve deeper into the molecular mechanisms by which the space environment influences planarian regeneration, unveiling the mysteries of planarian regenerative processes at a microscopic level.
By studying these issues, we can gain a deeper understanding. Understand the effects of gravity on cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. ， This will deepen the understanding of fundamental regeneration mechanisms and provide crucial clues for studying how human cells overcome aging and delay the aging process!
Overall, the regeneration mechanisms discovered in planarians are similar to those found in higher organisms. Understanding the functions of these genes helps uncover the regulatory mechanisms of adult stem cells in higher organisms during the regeneration process. , thereby guiding researchers in their operations within advanced biological stem cell studies! By unraveling its epigenetic mechanisms, we aim to decode the mysteries of human aging. ……
Three NEWS
What new hope can planarians bring to humanity? In fact, cutting-edge fields have already begun exploring this possibility. ......
In the preceding section, we have already explored in depth how this characteristic of planarians inspires humans. Especially the revolutionary insights it has sparked in the field of stem cells. Cutting-edge scientific research is continuously delving deeper into this mysterious field, striving to uncover the key "code" hidden within planarian stem cells—potentially unlocking solutions to combat human diseases and slow down the aging process. Bringing unprecedented new hope to life sciences ……
Actually, in the previous article: The world's first “ Artificial human ” Birth—Can men give birth too? A global sensation! IPSC The magical power of technology We have already gained a deep understanding of IPSC Today, let's Summarize and review again iPSC The wondrous world, Let’s see what surprises it has already brought us—and how it will continue to rewrite the chapter of medicine in the future!
Disease treatment
1 Cancer treatment
iPSC Immune cells from the source, such as Natural Killer NK ) Cells , After the engineering renovation, Capable of effectively killing cancer cells.
For example, 2024 Year 9 In a study published this month, iPSC Source of NK Cells target hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC ) of the chimeric antigen receptor CAR ) Expression significantly enhanced anti-tumor activity!
2 , Heart Disease Treatment
iPSC It can differentiate into cardiomyocytes, enabling the repair of damaged heart tissue.
For example, A study will iPSC Differentiated cardiac progenitor cells were implanted into a myocardial infarction rat model, and the results showed that cardiac function was preserved in the treatment group!
3 Treatment of neurological disorders
iPSC It can be differentiated into neuron cells for treating neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease.
For example, Japanese researchers have successfully integrated iPSC Differentiated into dopamine neurons, Transplanted into the brains of Parkinson's patients, it improved their symptoms!
4 Diabetes treatment
iPSC It can differentiate into islet cells for the treatment of diabetes.
For example, one study compared data from 1 Type 2 diabetes, 2 Type 2 diabetes and non-diabetic individuals' iPSC Derived insulin-secreting cells IPC ), It was found that these cells showed no significant difference in insulin secretion levels, highlighting the use of patient-specific approaches. iPSC The potential for autologous transplantation therapy!
Regenerative medicine's “ Dream Builder ”
1 , Organ repair and regeneration
iPSC It can differentiate into various tissues and organs, serving to repair and regenerate damaged ones.
For example, Japanese researchers have successfully integrated iPSC The cultivated retinal cells were transplanted onto the retinas of patients with retinitis pigmentosa. New avenues have been opened for treating this blindness-causing disease!
2 Organoid culture
iPSC It can be used to culture organoids, which hold significant potential in fields such as precision medicine, new drug development, infection biology, and toxicology research!
Drug development's “ Accelerator ”
1 Drug screening
iPSC Technology has provided a new platform for drug screening. By leveraging iPSC Differentiating into specific cell types, Scientists can conduct drug screening and toxicity tests on these cells, enhancing The efficiency and accuracy of drug development.
For example, iPSC The source cells can be used to screen drugs for treating conditions such as heart failure and stroke!
2 , Personalized Medicine
iPSC Technology can also be used for personalized medicine. Through patient-specific iPSC Conducting drug screening and optimizing treatment plans can provide patients with more precise and effective therapies. This personalized treatment approach is expected to significantly enhance therapeutic efficacy while minimizing drug side effects!
Future Potential: Exploring Endless Possibilities?
1. Versatile Cell Therapy:
In the future, scientists are expected to develop universal-type [products/things] through gene-editing technology. iPSC 。
These cells can be used to treat a variety of diseases, enhancing the efficacy and stability of cell-based therapies. The realization of universal cell therapy will bring a revolutionary transformation to the medical community!
2. Pluripotent Stem Cell Bank:
Establishing a pluripotent stem cell bank is also iPSC An important direction for the future development of technology.
By establishing a pluripotent stem cell bank, It can provide a stable source of cells for cell therapy, meeting the demands of clinical treatment. This will significantly propel iPSC The Application of Technology in the Medical Field
3. Emerging application areas:
iPSC Technology can also be combined with other technologies. , such as gene-editing technologies and organoid culture techniques, further expanding their scope of application.
Exploring these emerging application areas will bring even more exciting discoveries to medical research and clinical treatment!
In short, iPSC Continuous advancements and applications of technology have opened up limitless possibilities for medical and biological research. From disease treatment to regenerative medicine, from drug development to personalized healthcare, iPSC Technology has already brought us countless surprises!
Four NEWS
Summary
Overall, In our exploration of the mysterious world of planarians, we glimpse the astonishing limits of life's potential. —— From “ Even being sliced into a thousand pieces and ten thousand cuts, one can still survive. ” From its Jedi-like rebirth to nearly “ Immortality ” The cellular code, every step of which is pushing the boundaries of humanity's understanding of life!
From the underlying mechanisms of planarian nervous systems to organ regeneration, and further to the clinical translation of stem cell therapies and anti-aging technologies, Cutting-edge scientific research is using planarians as a mirror, gradually unlocking the ultimate mysteries of human medicine. ......
At this moment, let us remember these tiny yet magnificent creators. —— Planarian, They are silently unlocking the secrets of billions of years of evolution, quietly knocking on humanity's door to usher in the age of sustainable life!
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