Microfluidic systems redefined biology by providing platforms that handle small fluid volumes, catalyzing advancements in cellular and molecular studies.

Helen Blackwell: The Accidental Microbiologist

Check out the hottest papers in developmental biology and related fields, as ranked by F1000

Scientists have genetically modified isolated microbes for decades. Now, using CRISPR, they intend to target entire microbiomes.

Coleen Murphy: Immersed in the Inevitable

S. Ge et al.,"A critical period for enhanced synaptic plasticity in newly generated neurons of the adult brain," Neuron, 54:559-66, May 24, 2007. "By following GFP-labeled newly-born adult dentate granule cells, a critical period of 1-1.5 months was identified, and the increased plasticity depended on developmentally regulated synaptic expression of NR2B-containing NMDA [N-methyl d-aspartate] receptors. This critical period may be important for mediating e

Douglas Blackiston’s frog-fueled research seeks to push the boundaries of understanding developing organisms.

Modification on a high-resolution fluorescent microscopy technique allow researchers to track the precise movements of motor proteins. 

Paola Arlotta seeks to understand the complex symphony of brain development in vitro by using organoid models.

Editor's Note: The newsletter Science Watch, published by the Philadelphia-based Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), last year decided to devote more attention to a research arena that, clearly, was attracting more attention among scientists worldwide: ecology and environmental science. After analyzing ISI's Science Indicators Database, the newsletter published last November (Science Watch, 4[9]:7-8, 1993) its first-ever l