Descriptions of the embryo go back at least to the time of Aristotle, but it has only been since the late 19 th century and early 20 th century that advances in experimental approaches allowed ...

Scientists have uncovered a new way embryonic cells divide when conventional mechanisms fail. Cell division underpins all ...

Cell division is an essential process for all life on earth, yet the exact mechanisms by which cells divide during early ...

Long before human bone marrow takes over the task of producing blood, discrete waves of blood cell production occur in the developing embryo. Miriana Dardano, a postdoctoral researcher in Zweigerdt’s ...

Researchers have uncovered how egg cells prepare for the creation of life. Their work reveals the secrets of the Balbiani body, a remarkable structure that organizes essential molecules to guide early ...

How can we explain the morphological diversity of living organisms? Although genetics is the answer that typically springs to mind, it is not the only explanation. By combining observations of ...

A team of scientists at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) has uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that controls how genes are switched ‘on’ and ‘off’ during embryonic development.

In some mammals, the timing of the normally continuous embryonic development can be altered to improve the chances of survival for both the embryo and the mother. This mechanism to temporarily slow ...

Embryonic development is a meticulously orchestrated process in which spatial and temporal cues guide cell fate determination and tissue patterning. Central to this process is morphogen signalling – a ...