A potential 'cure' for baldness has been found.
Scientists have found a potential 'cure' for baldness
Scientists at the University of California have discovered that a lone chemical is responsible for whether people lose their hair or not.
The study claims that the discovery of the chemical could "not only treat baldness, but ultimately speed up wound healing".
The boffins discovered that the protein TGF-beta controls how the stem cells in hair follicles divide and why some can die off completely.
Study co-author Qixuan Wang wrote in Biophysical Journal: "In science fiction when character heal quickly from injuries, the idea is that stem cells allowed it.
"In real life, our new research gets us closer to understanding stem cell behaviour, so that we can control it and promote wound healing."
Wang continued: "TGF-beta has two opposite roles. It helps activate some hair follicle cells to produce new life, and later, it helps orchestrate apoptosis, the process of cell death."