Developmental biology is the branch of biological sciences that investigates the processes by which organisms grow, differentiate, and acquire their form from fertilization to adulthood and often through regeneration and aging. It integrates molecular genetics, cell biology, genomics, and systems biology to elucidate mechanisms such as cell fate specification, pattern formation, morphogenesis, and organogenesis. Developmental biology examines regulatory gene networks, signaling pathways (e.g., Wnt, Hedgehog, Notch, TGF-β), epigenetic modifications, and mechanical forces that coordinate spatial and temporal control of gene expression and cellular behavior, providing a framework for understanding congenital disorders, tissue regeneration, and evolutionary changes in body plans.
Cells contain a blueprint in the form of DNA that dictates what they can make. This blueprint is converted into a message (mRNA), which is then converted into a protein. Although DNA remains the same in all cells, how it ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 28, 2025
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A new study published in Nature Biotechnology shows that stem cell differentiation is linked to cellular structures called P-bodies, providing a potential means of controlling cell identity. Researchers at Baylor College ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 28, 2025
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Researchers have uncovered genetic elements that drive the rapid development of marsupials' facial features.
Plants & Animals
Oct 28, 2025
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15
Research by Assistant Professor Jacob S. Suissa at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is revealing complexity in how ferns have evolved. Instead of the vascular structure inside fern stems changing as a direct adaptation ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 27, 2025
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Biological rhythms aren't just for sleep. In the tiny worm C. elegans, researchers in the Grosshans lab and the Computational Biology Platform of the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research have found thousands ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Oct 15, 2025
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15
University of Cambridge scientists have used human stem cells to create three-dimensional embryo-like structures that replicate certain aspects of very early human development—including the production of blood stem cells. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 13, 2025
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46
Sexual size differences are widespread in biology, yet the "how" behind them often remains vague. We asked a concrete question in a classic model organism: when female flies are larger than males, do individual organs achieve ...
Our ancient past isn't always buried history. When it comes to our DNA, nearly 9% of the human genome is made up of leftover genetic material from ancient viruses (called endogenous retroviruses or ERVs) that infected our ...
Egg whites may be perfect for a health-conscious breakfast, but egg yolks turned out to be the key ingredient for cultivating bird embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in the lab. Using a growing medium of egg yolk along with a few ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 30, 2025
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Scientists have sought to capture the first days of how a person comes to be, by recreating those early moments in a lab via models made up of induced pluripotent stem cells, or IPSCs.
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 26, 2025
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