the community site for and by developmental biologists
Posted by the Node on November 29th, 2018
One scientific story has dominated the news this week: the first report of CRISPR-edited human babies being born. In an associated Node post, we’ve collected the most useful links we could find surrounding the story, and here we reached out to members of the community for their perspectives. Some responses are hopefully still coming in[…]
Posted by the Node on November 29th, 2018
One scientific story has dominated the news this week: the first report of CRISPR-edited human babies being born. The story’s scientific and ethical aspects stirred up heated debate, as did its means of delivery: rather than a published paper, the story broke with reports of clinical trial documents and then a YouTube video from lead[…]
Posted by Naomi on November 28th, 2018
The story is based on the paper Mechanosignalling via integrins directs fate decisions of pancreatic progenitors, published in Nature, 28 November 2018 Stem cells are already being used in combating previously untreatable diseases. Nevertheless, stem cells are not delivering their full potential because the production of specific cell types from stem cells cannot yet be managed. Researchers[…]
Posted by the Node on November 28th, 2018
Here at The Company of Biologists we’ve been debating the Bank of England’s decision to put a scientist on their new £50 note (the highest denomination note in England). The scientist must be deceased (only the Queen can grace notes while still alive) and ‘have shaped thought, innovation, leadership or values in the UK’. Each of[…]
Posted by Sofia Araújo on November 28th, 2018
Regular meetings of scientists such as annual society conferences can create opportunities for scientists to engage the public without extensive effort, making connections between scientists and public audiences. Under the umbrella of a specific topic, events can be created to engage local communities with international researchers and foster forums for discussion of specific areas of[…]
Posted by Ronenz on November 27th, 2018
MSc/PhD and postdoc positions available in the Zaidel-Bar Cellular and Tissue Morphogenesis Lab. We study the regulation of the cytoskeleton from single proteins to the entire organism and system levels, using multiple approaches (including bioinformatics, genetics, biochemistry and live imaging) to understand how cells and tissues change shape, move, sense, and generate forces (for more[…]
Posted by the Node on November 22nd, 2018
For the last two years, our interview series ‘The people behind the papers‘ has showcased the faces of developmental biology, and we’re excited to announce that the series will now also be printed in Development. The first ‘paper’ interview is with Chaitanya Dingare and Virginie Lecaudey, first and last authors of a paper reporting a surprising[…]
Posted by the Node on November 20th, 2018
The Company of Biologists’ journals – Development, Journal of Cell Science, Journal of Experimental Biology and Disease Models & Mechanisms – offer Travelling Fellowships of up to £2,500 to graduate students and post-doctoral researchers wishing to make collaborative visits to other laboratories. These are designed to offset the cost of travel and other expenses. There is no restriction on nationality. They really[…]
Posted by Eric Bellefroid on November 20th, 2018
We are seeking highly motivated candidates to join us on a project beginning in 2019 on the molecular mechanisms of sensory neurogenesis. We study in particular the nociceptors, the specialized peripheral neurons that detect painful stimuli. We aim to understand the role and mechanism of action of the Prdm12 gene. Prdm12 encodes an evolutionarily conserved[…]
Posted by BKragesteen on November 19th, 2018
Written and illustrated by: Bjørt K. Kragesteen, Malte Spielmann, and Guillaume Andrey. In early development, the forelimb and hindlimb buds of tetrapods are morphologically uniform. However, as limb development proceeds, each individual tissue attains a characteristic morphology that ultimately defines the identity of a forelimb (arm) or a hindlimb (leg). How do undifferentiated limbs[…]
