Behind the paper stories
Every paper has a story behind it, and we regularly commission scientists to tell theirs. In this collection you’ll discover the highs and the lows, the chance encounters and life changing discoveries from the breadth of developmental biology and stem cell research.
Recent posts
How we found a switch from genitalia to limbs
Posted by Anastasiia Lozovska, on 28 June 2024
While the vertebrate body consists of diverse structures formed during embryogenesis, there is a limited number of genetic regulatory modules that are repurposed in different developmental contexts. For example, the …Ascidian embryonic cells offer clues to the evolutionary origin of vertebrate neural crest cells and neuromesodermal progenitors
Posted by Tasuku Ishida, on 11 June 2024
Read the story behind the paper “Ascidian embryonic cells with properties of neural-crest cells and neuromesodermal progenitors of vertebrates”.Ancient origin of the vertebrate sympathetic nervous system
Posted by BEdens, on 1 June 2024
A recent paper “Neural crest origin of sympathetic neurons at the dawn of vertebrates” challenges the prevailing dogma that the sympathetic ganglia arose only in jawed vertebrates. Instead, based on …How do jellyfish regenerate their tentacles?
Posted by Yuichiro Nakajima, on 27 May 2024
Read the story behind the paper “Distinct stem-like cell populations facilitate functional regeneration of the Cladonema medusa tentacle”.A journey of understanding the distinct molecular mechanisms underlying plant photoperiodism
Posted by Qingqing Wang, on 29 February 2024
In a new study, Joshua Gendron and colleagues find that plants can measure two different photoperiods to independently control seasonal flowering and growth, and the vegetative growth is partially dependent on …Exploring Mammary Gland Development and Evolution with Organoid Technology
Posted by Gat Rauner, on 6 February 2024
What is the set of instructions that directs cells as they form a tissue, and how did this set of instructions evolve throughout species evolution? In a new study, we …My journey to explore the mystery during spermatogenesis
Posted by Mingyao, on 9 November 2023
Find out about the story behind the paper ‘Mouse Pramel1 regulates spermatogonial development by inhibiting retinoic acid signaling during spermatogenesis’Be beating, my still heart!
Posted by Bill Jia, on 25 October 2023
Read this story behind the paper “A bioelectrical phase transition patterns the first vertebrate heartbeats” from first author Bill Jia.
“If you notice something unusual in your experiments, don’t just throw it away!”
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Our full archive going back to 2010 is filterable by category, tag and date.