Why Is Planaria Important?

Charts were created from a cumulated pool of planarian research. Dead and missing planaria were not included in the data pool. Discussion: After undergoing the regeneration process Planaria had varying responses. This study concluded that the majority of planaria retain the learning process after regeneration, this statement is especially relevant in the head regenerated planaria. Before the experiment, a hypothesis was made that the head end would retain the classical conditioning and the tail end would not. This hypothesis would be incorrect because in our specific planarian both head and tail ends remembered. Although this hypothesis may have been correct with others planaria, it did not apply to ours in this study. When a study, completed …show more content…
This creates a large significance in planaria research because the research can be used to fix issues in stem cell development. This research, conducted by J.Rink, also mentions that the same stem cells found in planaria are also beginning to be found in organisms classified in Annelida, raising the question if this experiment could be conducted on annelids. Through evolution, Annelids now also have similar neoblasts (Rink 2012). Research also suggests that the evolution of sponges may take a part in this as well. From this it can be concluded that not only flatworms contain this gene but other organisms as well, furthering the insight on human gene research for stem …show more content…
The experiment was easy to conduct in the classroom because of cost, storage, and upkeep of the animal. A downside of the conduction of this experiment would be how it occurred in a classroom which lessons the dependability of the results because of exposure. Another upside would be the size of the organisms, allowing shocking to be easier. A downside to this would be the size because it makes stem cell research harder in comparison because of a number of similarities between planaria and humans is scarce.
The overall purpose of completing this lab was to study how planaria undergo the regeneration process. Through the process of study our classroom planaria it can be concluded that our research differs from others which could come from multiple different variables. It can also be concluded that planaria lab can have a large impact on society through stem cell research. Completing a study on the regeneration of planaria allows students to learn about the regeneration process in a tangible experience unlike reading from a book; it creates something