the community site for and by developmental biologists
Posted by Rachna Narayanan on July 28th, 2016
The BSDB had its joint Spring Meeting with the BSCB earlier this year in April (10th -13th). It was my first time at the Meeting, which had been enthusiastically sold to me as “a good one, a fun one – they have a pub quiz!” and although I had been ‘sent to Coventry’, I have[…]
Posted by Eric Bellefroid on July 27th, 2016
The laboratory of Developmental Genetics is looking for a PhD student to study the molecular mechanisms of neurogenesis in the developing mouse nervous system. The student will have to apply for a FNRS FRIA fellowship (http://www.fnrs.be/index.php/news-fnrs/517-fria-fresh-2016). The deadline for the application is the 30th August 2016. The unit is located in the Biopark Charleroi Brussels[…]
Posted by hintze531 on July 26th, 2016
Mark Hintze and Diana Gradinaru introduce their collaborative animation about the wonders of developmental biology. How are you built? How do you become the shape and form that you are? How are your arms the same length? These questions and many others lead me to study for a PhD in developmental biology. Yet, during my PhD I[…]
Posted by WHB_Masselink on July 25th, 2016
Fin to limb transition was a crucial evolutionary adaptation necessary for the vertebrate land invasion in the late Devonian around 400 MY ago. Without this key event, I would not be writing this blog, we as a species would definitely not exist, and neither would any other tetrapod. While the gross morphological changes for this process are fairly well understood,[…]
Posted by the Node on July 25th, 2016
Here we highlight some developmental biology related content from other journals published by The Company of Biologists. Aging zebrafish an ideal model Mice have been the traditional model of choice for investigating telomere shortening in aging, but zebrafish provide an upcoming complementary system with well-conserved physiology. Ferreira and colleagues discuss how fishes have helped our understanding of[…]
Posted by Kristen Panfilio on July 23rd, 2016
From autumn 2016, a postdoctoral research position is available in the Panfilio lab to investigate morphogenesis of the insect extraembryonic (EE) membranes. These simple epithelia are highly dynamic in their role as transient, protective covers for the embryo. The aim is to understand how EE morphogenesis works at multiple levels of biological organization, from cellular[…]
Posted by Máté Varga on July 21st, 2016
It seemed like an ordinary morning, with the lecture on Drosophila genetics due to start at 8 o’clock. But when the professor walked in something remarkable happened: instead of starting the lecture right away, he posed an unusual question: “One of the students of this class has a publication on this topic. George Streisinger, where[…]
Posted by Paridaen on July 20th, 2016
The Paridaen lab at the European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing (ERIBA) in Groningen, The Netherlands, is looking for a PhD student on Stem cell biology. Stem cells act in developing and adult organisms to produce the proper number of specialized cells in the body. It is important that stem cells select an[…]
Posted by jingyi on July 20th, 2016
Fertilization marks the start of life. This is followed by highly coordinated epigenetic reprogramming that allows protamine-histone exchange, zygotic genome activation, and the generation of a totipotent embryo. However, the true state of chromatin at the level of DNA during this crucial period is a long-standing mystery. Our lab is dedicated to understanding epigenetic reprogramming[…]
Posted by Seema Grewal on July 19th, 2016
Here are the highlights from the current issue of Development: Gestational stress: at the heart of birth defects Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common form of human birth defect, yet the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to CHD remain poorly understood. Here, Sally Dunwoodie and colleagues investigate how gestational hypoxia affects[…]
