| Regeneration of Planarian in Stimulants | home |
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| Background Research |
The Planaria are of the phylum, Platyhelminthes. There are many types that we will include in our following research. The one that we will be using is Brown Planaria; they are the most common along with Dugesias. We are using 4 stimulants on our project that include, Nicotine, Caffeine, Ethyl Alcohol, and Adrenaline Chloride. Some of these stimulants such as nicotine can also be depressants. Alcohol is always a depressant, and Adrenaline Chloride can also be a hormone. The regeneration process takes about 5-8 days. The basic principle of the regeneration process is: When a part is lost or cut, the planaria grow neoblasts on the wound, acting as a scab. This is why we must add the stimulants right away. Next the planaria form a “stump” on the wound, which appears white. If it's the head growing back the eyespots will be one of the last things replaced. Next the planarian will regenerate and go on in normal activities.
The stimulants are the main and most important variable of the project. Without the stimulants we would not see a change in the regeneration process. The reason for the stimulants chosen is that we think that they will have the greatest effect compared to others stimulants. The reason for this is because these stimulants are known to be strong on people and organisms. The best-supported reason for this is because they have a great deal of effect on growing fetus, which we could compare to regenerating planaria.
This background research is to inform you on the basics of our project and a short research summary.