A mass of unspecialized cells that grows and develops into a new organ, limb, or body part, especially during regeneration.
From Greek 'blastema' (something budded or sprouted), from 'blastanein' (to sprout). The term was adopted by embryologists in the 19th century.
Salamanders and starfish have incredible blastemas that let them regrow entire limbs—studying these tissues might one day help humans regenerate damaged body parts!
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