Tiny, Previously Undiscovered Capillaries May Exist Inside People's Bones [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

By Yasemin Saplakoglu, Staff Writer | January 22, 2019 04:52pm ET

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.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/64563-new-capillary-network-discovered.html