the community site for and by developmental biologists
the community site for and by developmental biologists
Posted by jorgetorrespaz on December 6th, 2019
The discipline “Evo-devo” studies the developmental basis of morphological evolution. In the field, some original animal models are emerging as interesting model organisms, enriching the knowledge in the field more and more. In the DECA team (Développement et évolution du cerveau antérieur, in French) we use an Evo-devo approach to study the developmental mechanisms responsible[…]
Posted by the Node on December 6th, 2019
This obituary by Frank Jülicher was recently published in Development Suzanne Eaton, Professor at the Technical University Dresden and Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, tragically died on 2 July 2019. Suzanne was a remarkable person, both as a scientist and as a human being. Having worked[…]
Posted by ettenson on November 21st, 2019
We know surprisingly little about how evolution has created new cell types. One of the best examples of a recently evolved cell type comes from early sea urchin development. Most sea urchins produce a group of early embryonic cells known as micromeres- four small blastomeres that form by unequal cell division at the vegetal pole[…]
Posted by mariemanceau on November 20th, 2019
Richard Bailleul, Jonathan Touboul and Marie Manceau Patterning in question: 60 years of mathematical and biological studies The coat of Vertebrates displays a stunning diversity of motifs created by the spatial arrangement of appendages and pigments across the skin surface. Strikingly, many have similar periodicity (i.e., number of repetitions within a period of space[…]
Posted by Naomi on November 7th, 2019
All cells in the body contain the same genetic material. The difference between cells therefore depends solely on which genes are expressed or ‘turned on’. Now, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have gained new insights into how genes are turned on and off and how the cells “forget their past” while developing into a[…]
Posted by PrachiJain on November 6th, 2019
By Kefei Nina Li and Prachi Jain Stem cells are typically defined by their ability to self-renew and differentiate. These activities are tightly controlled by both intrinsic cues and extrinsic cues from the microenvironment, known as the SC niche. This niche consists of multiple components, among which blood vessels (BVs) are critical as they[…]
Posted by the Node on November 5th, 2019
Press release from Development. You can also read the associated Research Highlight for this article. A team of neuroscientists led by Professor Christiana Ruhrberg (UCL, UK) and Professor Anna Cariboni (University of Milan, Italy) have found two molecules that work together to help set up the sense of smell and pave the way to puberty[…]
Posted by bradly.alicea on October 29th, 2019
Pre-trained Models for Developmental Biology Authors: Bradly Alicea, Richard Gordon, Abraham Kohrmann, Jesse Parent, Vinay Varma Our virtual discussion group (DevoWormML) has been exploring a number of topics related to the use of pre-trained models in machine learning (specifically deep learning). Pre-trained models such as GPT-2 [1], pix2pix [2], and OpenPose [3] are used for[…]
Posted by zelhanil on October 28th, 2019
A bit of background The dependence of a protein’s function on its structure is a well-known phenomenon. Back in 1970’s, it was suggested that most proteins would fold into one energetically stable or favorable conformational state in the cell determined by their primary amino acid sequence. This led to the notion of “one sequence to[…]
Posted by the Node on October 25th, 2019
In research that holds potential for prenatal health and brain injury, Scripps Research scientists identify cellular workings that stop and restart early brain development. Press release from Scripps Research, La Jolla. We all know that food is essential to healthy development of the brain and body, especially in the earliest stages of life. But exactly[…]
