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Why is Skin Thick On the Soles of the Feet?

posted by cmn32480 on Thursday October 20 2016, @12:41PM   Printer-friendly
from the i-toe-tally-get-it-now dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

It has long been known that the thickness of the epidermis varies around the body. For example, skin is thicker on the soles but thinner on the ears. However, the mechanism for maintaining the relative thickness of the outer skin, or epidermis, has been largely unknown.

Now, the research group, led by Professor Tomomi Nemoto of the university's Research Institute for Electronic Science, has established a new method for three-dimensional, real-time observation of the deep structure of the skin in living mice using advanced microscopy technology.
...
The team's analysis revealed for the first time that in thicker skin, basal cells divide obliquely with high frequency, whereas for basal cells in thin skin -- such as the back and ears -- divisions in the basement membrane were mostly parallel. By analyzing divisional direction three-dimensionally, correlations were found between the thickness of the epidermis and the frequency of oblique division with regard to the basement membrane.

In case you always wondered.

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by wonkey_monkey on Thursday October 20 2016, @01:56PM

    by wonkey_monkey (279) on Thursday October 20 2016, @01:56PM (#416657) Homepage

    Yeah, this is more like "how", I'd say.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 20 2016, @02:09PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 20 2016, @02:09PM (#416668)

    And that makes all the difference. With a single word change to the title, the entire article has gone from nonsensical to informative. It is a good thing we've got you two here to clear that up, you are real heroes. You should run for president!

  • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday October 20 2016, @03:52PM

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 20 2016, @03:52PM (#416733) Journal

    Wouldn't the "how" be the same mechanism that forms all of the cell differentiation? Why are ears shaped how they are? Why are hands shaped how they are? (Or rather "how" not "why") Why are penises shaped like they are? (Trump: so your hand doesn't slip off the end based on his experience.)

    When a single fertilized cell begins to divide and divide and divide, it doesn't just stay in the shape of a blob. The division begins to influence the shape of the overall organism. Two legs. Two arms.

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