the community site for and by developmental biologists
Posted by Seema Grewal on December 31st, 2013
Here are the highlights from the current issue of Development: Peri important role for Notch Pericytes are specialised cells that wrap around the endothelial cells of the vasculature to regulate vascular integrity, permeability and blood flow. Despite this crucial role, the molecular mechanisms that control pericyte development are not well understood. In this issue,[…]
Posted by Kristen Panfilio on December 31st, 2013
From early 2014, a PhD studentship is available in the Panfilio lab to investigate hypotheses of macroevolutionary change in gene function. The aim is to address the evolution of the Hox3/zen gene, which is highly conserved in most animals but has acquired novel roles within the insects. Focusing on the orthologues and paralogues of two[…]
Posted by ama on December 27th, 2013
In time of revision: of Wingless and morphogens Alfonso Martinez Arias The recent publication of the important work of C. Alexandre, LA. Baena and JP. Vincent on the molecular requirements for Wingless signalling in Drosophila (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature12879.html) offers an opportunity to consider the relationship between ideas and facts in modern developmental biology. The work reports the[…]
Posted by Thibaut Brunet on December 27th, 2013
I am a former diploma student in Emmanuel Farge’s team “Mechanics and genetics of embryonic and tumoral development” (Paris). Watching embryos could only convince me of Lewis Wolpert’s famous claim that “gastrulation is the most important time in your life” – but I also think we should keep in mind Theodosius Dobzhansky’s statement that “nothing[…]
Posted by David Strutt on December 24th, 2013
This Wellcome Trust-funded post-doc position is available to carry out computational modelling of coordination of planar polarity as part of an interdisciplinary team using Drosophila epithelial development as a model system. The Strutt lab (MRC Centre for Developmental and Biomedical Genetics, University of Sheffield) studies the planar polarity signalling pathways that control coordinated cell polarisation[…]
Posted by the Node on December 20th, 2013
The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures are an annual event where science is celebrated and young people are inspired. This year’s lectures celebrate the Life Fantastic, and will showcase the excitement, beauty and medical potential of developmental biology. If you were brought up in the UK, the Royal Institution (RI) Christmas Lectures will have been[…]
Posted by Christele Gonneau on December 20th, 2013
With the pre-festive season and the long winter darkness that accompanies it, it is appropriate to wonder how daylight/darkness cycles affect our biology. Regular daily variations such as daylight/darkness cycles are called circadian rhythms. For example, human skin needs to respond to harmful UV radiation generated by sunlight in a circadian manner. Amazingly, our cells[…]
Posted by Katie Howe on December 20th, 2013
DNA extraction from fruit is an easy experiment that makes a great demonstration for kids’ science fairs. I ran a DNA extraction stall at Oxford’s Wow!How? family science fair a few years back. Unfortunately I didn’t take any photos at the time but I had a lot of fun this weekend recreating the experiment in[…]
Posted by Jo Jack on December 19th, 2013
Organisation: Wellcome Trust – Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute Studentship starting: October 2014 Application Deadline: 10th January 2014 Interviews: 14th February 2014 We invite applications from committed and creative candidates for a 4 year MRC DTA PhD studentship. This studentship is aimed at individuals who have a clear idea of their preferred research[…]
Posted by Jo Jack on December 19th, 2013
Organisation: Wellcome Trust – Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute Studentship starting: 01 October 2014 Application Deadline: 1st April 2014 Interview Date: 29th April 2014 Programme Overview: This studentship is targeted to applicants with a Physical Sciences, Mathematical or Computational Sciences background, who are interested in applying their training to aspects of stem cell biology. This programme[…]
