developmental biology, cell & molecular biology

Researchers study how oxygen around an embryo helps shape the way feet and digits form in amphibians and chickens.

Children born to moms who smoked or ingested marijuana during pregnancy suffer higher rates of depression, hyperactivity, and inattention.

The microscopic marine animal Trichoplax adhaerens may use rapid changes in cell shape to avoid being ripped apart by forces in the ocean.

Studying how neural crest cells journey through the embryo, this Caltech developmental biologist has revealed how they form major cell types, including peripheral neurons, bone, and smooth muscle.

With just a molecular nudge, aggregates of embryonic stem cells take shape as a “gastroloid,” bearing the genetic hallmarks and spatial organization of early development.

Lineage tracing reveals how cells help the salamanders regrow chopped-off limbs.

A mouse study adds to the growing body of work disputing the ability of progenitor cells to regenerate muscle tissue in adult mammals’ hearts.

Actin rings seal off the ball of cells, aiding in implantation in the uterus. But faults in the process could explain why some pregnancies fail.

The embryo, grown in a dish from several types of stem cells, went through gastrulation, a significant stage in development.

Species with larger pancreatic cells tend to have shorter lives, according to a study.  

The finding confirms that a cluster of cells that directs the fate of other cells in the developing embryo is evolutionarily conserved across the animal kingdom.

Pectin fragments may signal plant cells to maintain a type of growth suited to darkness.

Peering through a microscope since age 14, Joseph Gall, now 89, still sees wonder at the other end.

New technologies reveal the dynamic changes in mouse and human embryos during the first week after fertilization.

From guiding branching neurons in the developing brain to maintaining a healthy heartbeat, there seems to be no job that the immune cells can’t tackle.

In addition to circulating in the blood as immune sentinels, macrophages play specialized roles in different organs around the body.

Andrzej Tarkowski’s research laid the groundwork for future advances in cloning, stem cell research, and in vitro fertilization.

Researchers harness the power of genome editing to track cell lineages throughout zebrafish development.

A new culture system allows researchers to track the development of human embryos in vitro for nearly two weeks.