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
Shining a Light on Adult Neural Stem Cells
Posted by Alina Marymonchyk, on 2 October 2021
Adult Neural Stem Cells (NSCs) have a remarkable capacity to produce new neurons and glia cells that integrate into pre-existing neural networks. Adult NSCs are found in all mammals, including humans, giving us hope of using the pool of adult …How exploring single cell dynamics in the early embryo revealed a protective system based on mechanical cell cooperation
Posted by Esteban Hoijman, on 15 July 2021
Esteban Hoijman and Verena Ruprecht describe how they found a phagocytic role for epithelial cells in early embryosFrom local communication to global pattern recovery: spatio-temporal scales in segmentation clock and scientists
Posted by Koichiro Uriu, on 30 June 2021
Koichiro Uriu, Bo-Kai Liao, Andrew Oates and Luis Morelli on the segmentation clockTensed beginnings: how membrane tension gates early differentiation
Posted by Henry De Belly, on 9 June 2021
Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells (ES cells) have the capacity to generate any tissue in the organism; this remarkable ability is called naïve pluripotency. Intriguingly, when ES cells start to differentiate …When statistical physics meets developmental biology: Predicting the structural properties of embryonic tissues from a simple cell parameter
Posted by Petridou, on 7 May 2021
By Bernat Corominas-Murtra and Nicoletta I. Petridou Embryo morphogenesis is a play whose outcome is the result of a complex and delicate plot, made of balances and agreements among many …Continuous and Extended Ex Utero Embryogenesis in Mammals
Posted by Alejandro Aguilera Castrejon, on 6 May 2021
Alejandro Aguilera Castrejon and Jacob Hanna on how to culture mouse embryos for longerNew strings for the puppeteer of evolution
Posted by Mark Rebeiz, on 30 April 2021
Sarah Jacquelyn Smith, Lance Davidson and Mark Rebeiz share the story of their recent paper on the evolution of morphological novelties.Out on a Flimb or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Trust the Mapping
Posted by mbrenthawkins, on 20 April 2021
Brent Hawkins recalls how mapping the zebrafish rephraim mutation brought insights into the fin-to-limb transition
“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.