Lesson 5: How can we see the worms' cells during regeneration?

In this lesson, students examine how scientists study cell growth and division using the incorporation of 5’-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) and subsequent visualization.  Students are introduced to a University of Illinois scientist whose work uses this technique to investigate the process by which planarians regenerate. At the end of the lesson, students make a hypothetical drawing of BrdU localization in their cut planarians from the previous lesson, illustrating how stem cells have divided and migrated during the process of regeneration.