Medical research

Scientists succeed in making the spinal cord transparent

(Medical Xpress) -- In the event of the spinal cord injury, the long nerve cell filaments, the axons, may become severed. For quite some time now, scientists have been investigating whether these axons can be stimulated to ...

Cardiology

To have or not to have... your left atrial appendage closed

Each year in the U.S., more than 300,000 people have heart surgery. To reduce risk of stroke for their patients, surgeons often will close the left atrial appendage, which is a small sac in the left side of the heart where ...

Cardiology

Reducing stroke risk from AFib without blood thinners

Atrial fibrillation, also called AFib, is a condition in which the heart beats chaotically and rapidly. As many as 6 million people in the United States and 9% of those over the age of 65 have the condition. To help prevent ...

Medical research

Bioelectric signals can be used to detect early cancer

Biologists at Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences have discovered a bioelectric signal that can identify cells that are likely to develop into tumors. The researchers also found that they could lower the incidence ...

Genetics

Biologists describe key mechanism in early embryo development

New York University and University of Iowa biologists have identified a key mechanism controlling early embryonic development that is critical in determining how structures such as appendages -- arms and legs in humans -- ...

Cardiology

Examining percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion therapy

Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, is increasing in incidence and prevalence worldwide. AF significantly increases the risk of intracardiac thrombus formation and, if left untreated, ischemic ...

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Appendage

In invertebrate biology, an appendage is an external body part, or natural prolongation, that protrudes from an organism's body (in verterbrate biology, an example would be a vertebrate's limbs). It is a general term that covers any of the homologous body parts that may extend from a body segment. These include antennae, mouthparts (including mandibles, maxillae and maxillipeds), wings, elytra, gills, walking legs (pereiopods), swimming legs (pleopods), sexual organs (gonopods), and parts of the tail (uropods). Typically, each body segment carries one pair of appendages.

An appendage which is modified to assist in feeding is known as a maxilliped or gnathopod.

Appendages may be uniramous, as in insects and centipedes, where each appendage comprises a single series of segments, or it may be biramous, as in many crustaceans, where each appendage branches into two sections. Triramous (branching into three) appendages are also possible.

All arthropod appendages are variations of the same basic structure (homologous), and which structure is produced is controlled by "homeobox" genes. Changes to these genes have allowed scientists to produce animals (chiefly Drosophila melanogaster) with modified appendages, such as legs instead of antennae.

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