Scientists show how a neuron gets its shape

(PhysOrg.com) -- Ask a simple question, get a simple answer: When Abraham Lincoln was asked how long a man’s legs should be, he absurdly replied, “Long enough to reach the ground.” Now, by using a new microscopy technique to watch the growth of individual neurons in the microscopic roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, Rockefeller University researchers are turning another deceptively simple question on its head. They asked, “How long should a worm’s neurons be?” And the worms fired back, “Long enough to reach their targets.”

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<p><a href="http://www.physorg.com/news157910659.html">Scientists show how a neuron gets its shape</a></p> <p>(PhysOrg.com) -- Ask a simple question, get a simple answer: When Abraham Lincoln was asked how long a man’s legs should be, he absurdly replied, “Long enough to reach the ground.” Now, by using a new microscopy technique to watch the growth of individual neurons in the microscopic roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, Rockefeller University researchers are turning another deceptively simple question on its head. They asked, “How long should a worm’s neurons be?” And the worms fired back, “Long enough to reach their targets.”</p>