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Image of an abstract fractal blue and green sea shell.
Cell Chirality Offers Clues to the Mystery of Body Asymmetry
Researchers explore the idea that molecular patterns in individual cells could underlie the development of a left and a right in animals.
Cell Chirality Offers Clues to the Mystery of Body Asymmetry
Cell Chirality Offers Clues to the Mystery of Body Asymmetry

Researchers explore the idea that molecular patterns in individual cells could underlie the development of a left and a right in animals.

Researchers explore the idea that molecular patterns in individual cells could underlie the development of a left and a right in animals.

developmental biology, cell & molecular biology

Illustration of fibers in a cell twisting
Infographic: The Emergence of Chirality in the Cell Cytoskeleton
Catherine Offord | Feb 1, 2022 | 1 min read
Researchers use imaging to show how actin fibers tilt and then swirl to create left-right asymmetry in the cell.
The Role of Mom’s Microbes During Pregnancy
Carolyn A. Thomson and Kathy D. McCoy | Aug 1, 2021 | 10+ min read
Bacteria in the gut influence the production of antibodies and themselves secrete metabolites. In a pregnant woman, these compounds may influence immune development of her fetus.
Lab-Grown Mouse Embryos Form Limbs and Organs
Lisa Winter | Mar 19, 2021 | 3 min read
The embryos completed one-third of their total gestation outside of a uterus.
Human Blastocyst-Like Structures Made in the Lab
Abby Olena, PhD | Mar 17, 2021 | 4 min read
Two new papers describe the generation of so-called blastoids, which could avoid the use of embryonic cells and make studying early human development much more accessible.
Siobhán Brady Uses Big Data to Investigate Plant Development
Shawna Williams | Feb 1, 2021 | 3 min read
The University of California, Davis, professor is a pioneer in teasing apart the changes in gene expression that drive root development.
model organism, zebrafish, sponge, cell &molecular biology, genetics & genomics, enhancer, transcription, non-coding DNA, gene regulation, evolution
Regulators of Gene Activity in Animals Are Deeply Conserved
Amanda Heidt | Nov 6, 2020 | 5 min read
Enhancers, short regions of DNA that direct gene expression, of species separated by 700 million years of evolution worked interchangeably, according to a new study.
Infographic: Anatomical Construction by Cell Collectives
Michael Levin | Sep 1, 2020 | 3 min read
Understanding this complex and still largely enigmatic process will pave the way for researchers to control the development of new morphologies.
How Groups of Cells Cooperate to Build Organs and Organisms
Michael Levin | Sep 1, 2020 | 10+ min read
Understanding biology’s software—the rules that enable great plasticity in how cell collectives generate reliable anatomies—is key to advancing tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Gene Splicing Pioneer Dale Kaiser Dies
Ashley Yeager | Jun 29, 2020 | 5 min read
Working with a virus that infects bacteria, the Stanford University biochemist and developmental biologist helped to develop a way to stitch DNA together, a discovery that gave rise to genetic engineering.
How a Pea Aphid Decides to Make Wings or Not
Viviane Callier | Jun 1, 2020 | 2 min read
Wing development in females is environmentally controlled, but in males, an insertion on the sex chromosome appears to dictate whether the insects grow wings, according to a study.
Image of the Day: Nutrient Sensor
Amy Schleunes | Mar 26, 2020 | 1 min read
A zinc-sensing protein found in fruit fly intestines regulates the insect’s growth and feeding behavior.
Killifish Embryos Pause Development Without Consequence: Study
Lisa Winter | Feb 21, 2020 | 3 min read
Contrary to popular thinking, the period of arrested development is an active state of maintaining muscle integrity.
New Discoveries in Human Anatomy
Diana Kwon | Feb 18, 2020 | 4 min read
Using advanced microscopy and imaging techniques, scientists have revealed new parts of the human body and overturned previous misconceptions.
Infographic: The Modern Human Body
Diana Kwon | Feb 18, 2020 | 1 min read
The last few years have yielded new insights into human anatomy. Explore this interactive graphic to learn about some of these discoveries.  
Aneuploidy Could Explain Variability in Female Fertility: Study
Catherine Offord | Jan 13, 2020 | 2 min read
Eggs from girls and from older women show higher rates of errors in chromosome number.
Opinion: Interdisciplinary Approach Needed to Crack Morphogenesis
Joshua Finkelstein, Kelly McLaughlin, and Michael Levin | Dec 1, 2019 | 4 min read
Physicists, geneticists, computer scientists, and biologists are working together to gain a full appreciation of the intricacies of organismal growth and form.
drosophila eye development retina fruit fly imaginal disc
Image of the Day: Fly Eye
Chia-Yi Hou | Jul 16, 2019 | 1 min read
See a developing Drosophila eye.
suzanne eaton max planck
Developmental Biologist Suzanne Eaton Found Dead in Greece
Ashley P. Taylor | Jul 9, 2019 | 2 min read
Eaton studied morphology and growth during development at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics.
human embryonic stem cells differentiate differentiation layers organization induced
Image of the Day: Multilayered
Chia-Yi Hou | Jul 8, 2019 | 1 min read
Human embryonic stem cells differentiate and organize themselves on a chip.
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