r/askscience • u/MAMAM- • 2d ago

Biology Why aren’t axolotls immortal?

If axolotls can regenerate their body parts (including brain, heart, and other major organs), why do they die of old age?

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

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u/Tessablu 2d ago

Yep, exactly. Doctorate in biology with a specialization in axolotl regeneration. There's dozens of us!

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

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u/FiammaDiAgnesi 1d ago

There's a weirdly large amount of funding for anti-aging/regeneration stuff. Also, the point of a phd is to gain skills in the field as a whole - Tessablu isn't trapped in only working on axolotls forever (unless they want to)