[Live Science] Our bones may be filled with previously undiscovered networks of microscopic tunnels, a new study finds.
These tiny tunnels ‐ spotted in lab mice and traces of it in one inquisitive researcher ‐ may be vital for transporting immune cells out of bones, where they are made.
In the study, researchers found hundreds of previously unknown capillaries ‐ the tiniest blood vessels in the body ‐ in the leg bones of mice. The discovery of something in mice, however, doesn't necessarily mean it exists in humans, and there can often be a long period between an animal discovery and confirmation of the findings in humans.
Not so in this case: One of the (human) researchers decided to jump-start the human studies, so he stuck his leg in an MRI machine and spotted evidence that the tiny bone tunnels might also exist in humans. |