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developmental biology

Video showing a ring of cells forming regularly spaced pits along its circumference.
developmental biology

Embryo Cells Set Patterns for Growth by Pushing and Pulling

By Monique Brouillette
July 12, 2022
Read Later

Patterns that guide the development of feathers and other features can be set by mechanical forces in the embryo, not just by gradients of chemicals.

Cells growing in a dish glow in seven different fluorescent colors.
synthetic biology

Simple Gene Circuits Hint at How Stem Cells Find New Identities

By Veronique Greenwood
May 19, 2022
Read Later

Synthetic biology experiments suggest a “MultiFate” model for how genetically identical cells become the many different types found in complex organisms like us.

Video of fluorescent neural crest cells migrating through zebra fish tissues.
developmental biology

Cells Blaze Their Own Trails to Navigate Through the Body

By Elena Renken
March 28, 2022
Read Later

With self-generated gradients of chemicals and physical tension, cells in the body steer themselves to vital destinations.

Photo of a flying fish gliding over the open water.
developmental biology

Flying Fish and Aquarium Pets Yield Secrets of Evolution

By Viviane Callier
January 5, 2022
Read Later

New studies reveal the ancient, shared genetic “grammar” underpinning the diverse evolution of fish fins and tetrapod limbs.

A detailed photo of a fruit fly wing in silhouette.
developmental biology

Mathematical Analysis of Fruit Fly Wings Hints at Evolution’s Limits

By Elena Renken
September 20, 2021
Read Later

A painstaking study of wing morphology shows both the striking uniformity of individuals in a species and a subtle pattern of linked variations that evolution can exploit.

An illustration of a cell sitting atop a circuit diagram.
cell biology

Biologists Rethink the Logic Behind Cells’ Molecular Signals

By Philip Ball
September 16, 2021
Read Later

The molecular signaling systems of complex cells are nothing like simple electronic circuits. The logic governing their operation is riotously complex — but it has advantages.

Photo of a rove beetle standing on a leaf and arching its abdomen.
evolution

How Do New Organs Evolve? A Beetle Gland Shows the Way.

By Viviane Callier
August 16, 2021
Read Later

The evolution of a defensive gland in beetles shows how organs can arise from novel cells carving out new functional niches for their neighbors.

Illustration of a placenta that is a mosaic of different colors, with a connected fetus that is all one color.
genomics

New Genomic Study of Placenta Finds Deep Links to Cancer

By Max Kozlov
April 8, 2021
Read Later

A patchwork of genomic differences in the placenta may explain the organ’s “live fast, die young” strategy and its connections to cancer.

developmental biology

Cells Form Into ‘Xenobots’ on Their Own

By Philip Ball
March 31, 2021
Read Later

Embryonic cells can self-assemble into new living forms that don’t resemble the bodies they usually generate, challenging old ideas of what defines an organism.


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