A tiny structure hidden beneath the skin may hold clues to smoother skin and better healing. New research shows this feature forms after birth, not before, and scientists now know what controls it. For years, most scientists believed rete ridges formed during fetal growth. That assumption slowed progress. By closely tracking skin development in pigs, the researchers found the ridges appear only after birth. The discovery reshapes how skin growth is understood. “These structures degrade as we age; now we know how they form and have a blueprint to guide future work on restoring them,” said Ryan Driskell, an associate professor in the School of Molecular Biosciences. “Most scientists assumed these skin ridges formed during early embryonic development, which explains why no one really understood their origin.” Ryan Driskell, left, an associate professor, and Sean Thompson, right, a PhD graduate student, are greeted by pigs at a farm near Garfield, Wash. (CREDIT: Ted S. Warren, College of Veterinary Medicine) Looking beneath the fur Rete ridges anchor the outer skin layer to deeper tissue. As these …