Dr. Catania, a leading expert on the star-nosed mole, describes them as “amazing” and used the term ten times to express his admiration for these creatures. He will present three decades’ worth of research at the Experimental Biology annual meeting in Chicago, as part of a symposium on extreme anatomy.
Dr. Catania is, in many ways, an anomaly himself in the field of biology. While most biologists concentrate on a select few species, some disapprove of having favorites among animals. However, Catania argues for the significance of studying nature’s oddities, as these unique creatures with their extraordinary abilities can shed light on how the rest of us function.
He states, “Evolution has solved a lot of problems in a lot of different ways. We can learn so much from that diversity.”
For instance, delving into the mole’s sensitive nose has provided insights into how touch operates at the molecular level. Catania’s research has unveiled that the brain’s anatomy imprints a giant star pattern mirroring the mole’s unique nose. Each time the mole presses its star onto the soil, it essentially creates a star-shaped view of its surroundings, and these images assemble in its brain like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
Diana Bautista, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Berkeley, emphasizes our limited understanding of the sense of touch compared to other senses. She collaborated with Catania and together discovered molecules in the mole’s star that play a crucial role in converting physical stimuli, such as the touch of a feather or a needle prick, into the electrical signals that drive the nervous system.Since many of these molecules are also found in humans, these findings might pave the way for new pain treatments.Catania is driven by numerous mole-related mysteries he hopes to unravel, such as whether moles can discern detailed textures through a single touch of their rays. All of these inquiries require a scientist unafraid of the bizarre and willing to get their hands dirty—sometimes quite literally. The star-nosed mole continues to be an extraordinary enigma of the animal kingdom, pushing the boundaries of what we know about evolution, adaptation, and the wonders of nature.
