I’m a big fan of podcasts, and one of my favorites is Tim Harford’s “Cautionary Tales.” It tells true stories about disasters and what we can learn from them. One episode particularly stuck with me—the story of Tenerife.
On March 27, 1977, two Boeing 747s collided on a foggy runway in Tenerife, killing 583 people. This wasn’t just about miscommunication, mechanical failure or bad weather. The investigation revealed something more profound: the captain was the airline’s Chief Flying Instructor, thus creating a steep “gradient” that prevented his first officer from challenging a fatal mistake.
When the first officer realized they didn’t have takeoff clearance, he saw disaster coming but couldn’t bring himself to forcefully challenge his superior.
This got me thinking: when power dynamics prevent people from speaking up, disaster follows. Does this also apply to academia?
A Pattern Worth Noticing
Tim Harford’s podcast reveals a disturbing pattern: many disasters across different fields stem from the same problem—people being unable to challenge authority when they see danger ahead. From naval catastrophes to medical errors, from financial crashes to engineering failures, a common thread is often authority gradients that silence dissenting voices.
To be clear, most academic labs aren’t disaster zones. Most PIs, including my own, are thoughtful mentors who genuinely care about their students’ growth and scientific development. Many labs operate with healthy dynamics where ideas flow freely and disagreement is welcomed.
But here’s a learning from other fields: even well-intentioned leaders can unknowingly create subtle power imbalances. And in science, our “disasters” aren’t plane crashes—they’re missed discoveries, delayed projects, unexplored hypotheses, and brilliant ideas that never see daylight.
The Academic Context
In academia, unlike most corporate environments, one person—your PI—has enormous influence over your career trajectory. As a PhD student or Post-doc, you commit years to one supervisor’s lab. They guide your research direction, allow your access to resources, and significantly influence your future opportunities.
This isn’t inherently problematic. Expertise matters, and experienced scientists rightfully guide newcomers. The challenge is when this necessary hierarchy inadvertently creates barriers to open scientific dialogue.
Even in the best labs, there might be subtle versions of this dynamic. A student hesitating to present data that contradicts the PI’s hypothesis. A postdoc avoiding questions that might seem to challenge established lab protocols. These aren’t dramatic confrontations—they’re quiet moments where respect for authority might overshadow respect for scientific inquiry.
The Free Resource We Maybe Missing
Of all the things science needs—expensive equipment, ample funding, and reagents—respect, costs nothing. Yet, it might be our most powerful tool. Every carefully planned experiment and every piece of expensive equipment depends on people thriving in an environment where they feel safe, heard, and valued.
Science thrives on disagreement. The best discoveries often come from questioning prevailing wisdom and challenging assumptions. But when subtle power dynamics make people hesitate to speak up, we miss out on breakthrough ideas.
The most productive labs may be doing something simple: they separate intellectual discussion from hierarchy. In these labs, everyone responds to contradictory data with curiosity, not defensiveness. Unexpected results are seen as learning opportunities, not failures.
A Quick Self-Check for the Lab
As an opportunity for reflection, PIs and mentees can ask themselves:How often do mentees feel comfortable disagreeing with an idea? If it’s rare, it may be worth examining why. Perhaps even create a “disagreement board” to make the act of questioning a hypothesis more salient and celebrated. What’s the atmosphere like when someone presents data that contradicts an expectation? Do people feel comfortable sharing results that go against the grain?
These aren’t accusations; they’re simply opportunities for growth and improvement. The goal isn’t to flatten hierarchies but to ensure that authority serves discovery, not ego. Sometimes, the most junior person in the lab has a game-changing insight. But they can only share it if they feel safe to do so.
The bottom line
Listening to cautionary tales from other fields reminded me that power dynamics are everywhere, often subtle, and worth examining. In science, where truth-seeking is our highest goal, creating space for respectful disagreement isn’t just good mentorship—it’s essential for discovery.
Sameer Thukral is a post doc in the lab of Yu-Chiun Wang at RIKEN-BDR, Kobe, Japan, where he loves discussing science in a healthy and respectful environment. He is developmental biologist with a focus on mechanics of yolk-blastoderm interactions. He is also the co-founder of BDR-Launchpad, a post-doc network for supporting ECRs with the hidden curriculum of science.
The observations made here are his own and do not reflect the opinions of the employer. This article was written by Sameer Thukral, with formatting, structuring and framing support of Claude AI.
Our ‘Featured resource’ series aims to shine a light on the resources that support our research – the unsung heroes of the science world. In this post, we learn about the data and functionalities available at Facebase, and hear about new initiatives they are developing.
What is FaceBase?
FaceBase is a public data resource and repository dedicated to advancing basic and clinical research spanning the translational spectrum of dental, oral, and craniofacial (DOC) biology, as well as related systemic health and disease models throughout the data lifecycle. FaceBase realizes this mission by recruiting, transforming, and publicly sharing research and clinical data.
This freely available and public resource currently hosts over 1,100 datasets, approximately 3,000 experiments, over 210,000 images, and more than 8,000 genomics files. FaceBase exemplifies FAIR (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability) and TRUST (Transparency, Responsibility, User focused, Sustainability, and Technology) principles of scientific data sharing, ensuring that its clean, well-structured datasets are not only easy to find and reuse, but are also inherently AI-ready for integration into modern computational workflows.
FaceBase hosts data from both human subjects and animal models, encompassing a wide array of experimental approaches, including multiple omics and imaging data types. This platform welcomes contributions of data from the community after going through a careful review process and quality assurance.
Human subjects and animal model data (Current animal models include mouse, zebrafish, chimp and chick)
Controlled-access and public data
Genomic and phenotypic data from multiple species
Most known types of genomics and imaging data
Resources and strategies to enhance data reproducibility
State-of-the-art data science methods to support cutting edge research
Standards and educational resources for improving data management and sharing practices across the community
FaceBase demonstrated itself as a credible resource for the DOC research community through its CoreTrustSeal accreditation after a two-year approval process, as well as becoming one of a select number of NIH approved Controlled Access Data Repositories (CADRs) handling genomics and other sensitive data.
What inspired the development of FaceBase?
In 2009, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health (NIDCR, NIH) launched FaceBase in response to the need for more comprehensive analysis of craniofacial development. With the immense amount of craniofacial data being generated, there is a danger of relevant datasets being buried in the avalanche of genomic and other data.
The first five years (known as FaceBase 1) started with a spoke-and-hub of 10 spoke projects and resulted in almost 600 datasets and over 100 publications. The next phase of FaceBase (FaceBase 2) began in August 2014 with 10 spoke projects and a new hub that developed an updated data model allowing for more data integration and faceted searches with a new server interface. The third phase (FaceBase 3) dismantled the spoke-and-hub model in favor of a community-based model that opened submissions to any contributor. We also promoted the idea of self-curation which allowed us to scale up considerably: since opening up to community contributions, we have more than doubled the number of contributors and our dataset growth has kept pace with prior years.
How can scientists use FaceBase in their research?
For researchers and clinicians seeking to generate a hypothesis for a new grant, validate their own data by comparing with controls, or examine phenotypes in mutant models, the FaceBase Data Browser provides an intuitive interface. Data are represented as filtered records, with sidebar attributes that function similarly to filters on an online shopping site.
Find Data
You may begin your search with the BROWSE ALL DATASETS button on the homepage or you can use the DATA tab in the top navigation menu bar (available on all pages) to start with a particular model.
When you start searching the data browser you will see:
Search results based on filters
Faceted navigation sidebar on the left
Search bar above the results
By default, the data is sorted to display the most recently released data first. On the left side is the faceted navigation based on characteristics of the data and experiments. Scroll down to see all the categories of filters available to narrow down your search.
Export Data
All open access data can be downloaded directly from the browser without requiring login. If you want to download a large amount of data, you can use our BDBag protocol-derived tool, which allows for reliable transfer of a “bag” of digital content – in this context, a group of files that you want to export in bulk. It is available as a GUI client and a command-line client.
We also offer resources to help you include FaceBase in your Data Management Sharing (DMS) plan, including template text that you can copy and paste into your plan. You can find guidance on how to fill out the various fields here: https://www.facebase.org/contributing/dms/.
Who are the people behind the resource?
FaceBase is run by University of Southern California’s Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology (CCMB) and Information Sciences Institute (ISI) in Los Angeles.
Our current leadership and staff include:
• Principal Investigators – Yang Chai (CCMB) and Carl Kesselman (ISI)
• Co-Investigators – Robert Schuler (ISI, technical lead) and Parish P. Sedghizadeh (Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC)
• Scientific Curators – Jifan Feng, Tingwei Guo, and Thach Vu Ho (CCMB)
• Data Management Lead – Alejandro Bugacov (ISI)
• Collaborations and Communications Coordinator – Cris Williams (ISI)
• Project Manager – VyVy Nguyen (CCMB)
How can researchers help and contribute to the resource?
The most effective ways to support FaceBase are two pronged: 1) contribute data to improve the breadth and depth of our offerings and 2) cite any data you deposit or reuse by using the citation tools embedded in the platform.
Contribute data
FaceBase welcomes biomedical basic and clinical research across the translational spectrum related to the DOC domains as well as those from related systems. We are also an approved repository for the HEAL Initiative, an NIH-wide effort to speed scientific solutions to stem the national opioid public health crisis.
Our current funding phase expands our focus to accept research and data on relevant anatomical and biological health and disease models beyond DOC domains, for example the ear and eye or biomarkers that overlap with those found in DOC regions.
After a review process from the FaceBase team and NIH program staff, approved projects will receive a one-hour one-to-one tutorial to learn how to curate their data using the online metadata forms and how to upload data. You can find more information about the process here: https://docs.facebase.org/docs/Data-Submission-Key-Concepts/.
Note that our focus is on high quality data that conforms to FAIR initiatives that bolster or expand existing data. Find more detailed descriptions of the types of data we are especially interested in here: https://www.facebase.org/contributing/data-priorities/. If you have any questions about whether your data is a good fit, please contact us at help@facebase.org.
Cite FaceBase data
FaceBase has been leading the charge on effective and transparent citation of data for many years. Every data record has its own unique, permanent identifier. In addition, every Dataset and Project page has a registered Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and a “Share and cite” button that provides citation text that you can simply copy and paste into your publication.
EarBase: As part of our new focus to include research and data from relevant anatomical and biological health and disease models, FaceBase is collaborating with the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) to migrate 3D images of the temporal bone that were previously held in a private enclave.
CranioRate: Another new development is our collaboration with CranioRate, a user interface that is being launched in late 2025 to help surgeons and clinicians manage metopic craniosynostosis cases, a birth defect that affects the structure of the skull. In particular, FaceBase is supporting their open access human craniosynostosis image bank and working towards standardized vocabularies and ontologies to ensure the data’s FAIR-ness.
Integrating clinical elements from Electronic Health Records (EHR)
We are collaborating with clinician-scientists on a pilot project to integrate clinical data from patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) into FaceBase. Important directives of this pilot include ensuring clear patient consent for repository use (that specifically permit the use of identifiable health information for research without requiring re-authorization) and exploring the potential of AI/ML methods to analyze clinical notes and improve diagnostic accuracy.
Advanced computation and AI-ready analytics
By definition, aligning the data in the FaceBase repository with FAIR principles means that our data, which is clean, well-formatted, with structured metadata and provenance, is ready for a data scientist to pull into analytics platforms. In the future, we plan to continue to enhance the AI-readiness of our data, provide curated collections of “reference datasets” for training purposes, and enable interoperability with LLMs and lab notebooks and develop an AI-assisted curation bot for data contributors.
Interoperability with external data resources
We are also developing a pipeline to transform raw FaceBase data into a processed format that can be ingested by external resources, for example a cloud-based analytics platform.
We are all stepping into a story where evolution, development, and regeneration converge in the eye of a snail.
Portraits of Dr. Alice Accorsi and Dr. Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, shown alongside the apple snail, Pomacea canaliculata. Image source : Alice Accorsi and Joaquin Benitez, College of Biological-Sciences, UC Davis and Stowers Institute for Medical Research.
Throughout their lives, organisms encounter injuries and stresses that threaten the integrity of their bodies and have evolved remarkable ways to restore lost or damaged tissues. This ability to replace body parts, which can range from reorganizing existing structures to generating entirely new ones—is known as regeneration.
Among many forms of regeneration, the ability to rebuild eyes is especially striking. Eyes are among the most intricate organs, requiring precise anatomical organization and highly ordered neural wiring to restore function. Across the animal kingdom, eyes vary widely, reflecting adaptation to different ecological demands. While regeneration of simpler structures, such as planarian pigmented eye cups, and partial regeneration of camera-type eyes in vertebrates has been described, the idea that complete adult camera-type eyes could regenerate has long seemed improbable. These highly specialized organs, capable of high-resolution vision, present unique challenges that extend beyond conventional models.
In a recent groundbreaking Nature Communications study, Alice Accorsi, Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, and colleagues demonstrate that the apple snail, Pomacea canaliculata can completely regenerate its camera-type eyes. By coupling this discovery with CRISPR–Cas9 genome editing, they establish a new genetically tractable model to probe regeneration of complex sensory organs. Here are behind the scene stories from the corresponding authors – Dr. Alice Accorsi and Dr. Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado.
First we have behind the science stories from Dr Alice Accorsi !
How did you first get introduced to apple snails, and what drew you to them? Tell us about your PhD work.
Throughout my career I have worked with several invertebrate species, such as snails, leeches and planarians. These apple snails are originally from South America, particularly Brazil and Argentina, but have now spread to parts of Asia, Europe, and North America, where they pose a serious threat to local ecosystems. The same traits that make them invasive, such as resilience, rapid growth and prolific reproduction, also make them easy to care for. And it turns out this also makes them excellent laboratory models. My PhD mentor, Dr. Enzo Ottaviani, once purchased some apple snails from a pet shop and had them in his office. It was during one of our meetings that we wondered if we could use them as another invertebrate in my research! During my graduate studies, I was interested in studying their immune system to understand what makes them so resilient and to explore ways to affect their survival without using environmentally harmful compounds. I was also intrigued by the possibility that their immune and nervous systems might communicate with each other, as we see in vertebrates. My research uncovered evidence of this crosstalk, offering a new evolutionary perspective on neuroimmune interactions.
Pictures featuring Dr. Accorsi visualizing the apple snail. Image source : Joaquin Benitez, College of Biological-Sciences, UC Davis.
What convinced you to keep working with snails in your research – even during post doc and now in your independent research program as a faculty? What led you to the Sánchez Alvarado lab?
This journey began with a conversation between Dr. Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado (Stowers Institute for Medical research, Kansas City, MO) and me at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. I was still a graduate student at the time, studying the immune system of apple snails, while Alejandro’s laboratory was focused on regeneration in planarians. Although snails have been known for their regenerative abilities since the 1700s, no one had explored their biology using modern molecular tools. That conversation sparked my interest in applying these approaches to snails to see what we could uncover. We already have several model systems that excel at regenerating different body parts, such as planarians, hydras, and axolotls. I began to wonder whether these snails could regenerate an organ that the others could not, making them unique and even more relevant to study. That is when I discovered that apple snails possess complex camera-type eyes, the same kind of eyes found in humans. This opened up a unique opportunity to explore regenerative biology in a new way, with potential implications for human health. That is what convinced me to continue working with snails, even as I transitioned into postdoctoral and now independent research.
How was your transition from Italy to US for postdoctoral work?
Moving abroad for my postdoctoral studies was a major life change. I left my family behind and immersed myself in a new culture and scientific environment. I moved from a small lab with limited resources where I was the most senior member to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, a place with nearly unlimited possibilities and a large, diverse team of scientists, including many senior researchers. Despite the challenges, I never regretted the move. I learned more than I ever imagined and had the chance to connect with scientists across the country and the world. The Technology Centers at Stowers supported my work and introduced me to techniques I had only read about before. I am deeply grateful for the preparation I received through the Italian educational system, which gave me the foundation to take this leap.
What was it like to take on eye regeneration in snails – a phenomenon that hadn’t really been studied in them before?
Taking on a project about complete eye regeneration in snails was both exciting and challenging. Since this phenomenon had not been studied before and this was a relatively novel model system, we had to start from scratch. We began by characterizing the morphology of apple snail eyes using microscopy and histological techniques to understand their structure and cellular composition. Then, we performed genomic and transcriptomic analyses to identify the genes involved in eye development and regeneration. Finally, we developed techniques to manipulate their genome to test gene function. This multi-approach research allowed us to build a comprehensive picture of apple snail eye anatomy, gene expression and regeneration, laying the groundwork for deeper investigations into the molecular mechanisms behind this process.
Images showing A) embryonic snail eye with fluorescent photoreceptor cells in magenta, B) and C) showing intact and regenerating adult eye respectively. Picture credits : Alice Accorsi, College of Biological-Sciences, UC Davis.
Your genomic analyses revealed genes shared between apple snails, humans, and Drosophila, particularly related to eye development and photoreceptor formation. What does this shared genetic toolkit tell us about the evolution of complex eyes across distant lineages?
Our molecular studies revealed that many genes are involved in forming both snail and human eyes, even though these eyes evolved independently. This suggests that, while there may be many ways to build an eye, the fundamental genetic building blocks are conserved between very different species (humans and snails). These findings have important implications for evolutionary biology. By comparing the development of camera-type eyes in snails, cephalopods, and humans we can shed light on how these complex structures evolved multiple times independently. This helps us identify both conserved mechanisms and evolutionary novelties across species.
Can you describe the moment you first saw a regenerated camera type eye?
Seeing the regenerated eye for the first time was exciting, but in that moment, I was not even close to fully grasp the importance of that one piece of data. It was later on, reading literature and looking through old papers and I started appreciating how this unconventional system could reveal something truly profound about regeneration. That realization was the real turning point that deepened my commitment to this research.
Your experiments showed eye regeneration unfolded in defined stages—wound healing, blastema formation, tissue emergence, and maturation. Did any of these phases surprise you ?
One of the most remarkable aspects of apple snail eye regeneration is how fast, precise, and reproducible it is. After complete eye removal, early signs of regrowth appear in less than two weeks, and a fully reconstructed eye, with all its components, is restored in under a month. What surprised me most was the efficiency and consistency of this process. The speed at which regeneration unfolds, and the minimal variability between individuals, suggest a tightly regulated mechanism. Just as striking was the discovery that many of the genes active during regeneration are also involved in vertebrate eye development. This points to a shared genetic toolkit and opens exciting possibilities for comparative studies that could inform regenerative medicine.
Your pax6 studies reaffirmed its conserved function, do you think the role of pax 6 is binary ?
In our system, pax6 appears to play a binary role. When pax6 is knocked out, eye development is completely abolished. We did not observe any eye-related structures or any intermediate phenotypes, which underscores how essential this gene is. It is astonishing to see such a conserved function across species.
Do you plan to test the behavioral capabilities of regenerated eyes?
Absolutely. One of our main goals moving forward is to study the behavior and visual capabilities of apple snails. We are planning to collaborate with labs that specialize in behavioral neuroscience and vision to explore what snails can see in their environment and how well regenerated eyes can function.
What challenges did you face developing CRISPR lines?
Establishing stable CRISPR/Cas9 mutant lines in snails was a major technical challenge. A few steps were quite difficult. The first was collecting and injecting the zygotes, as they are very small! The next difficult step was ensuring their survival to adulthood after we removed them from the eggs. It took a lot of trial and error. Each step required patience and precision, but eventually, we developed a reliable workflow that allowed us to generate reproducible mutant phenotypes.
How do snails complement fly eye development in other model systems like Drosophila?
While Drosophila has been a powerhouse for studying eye development, its compound eyes are anatomically different from human eyes. Moreover, adult fruit flies do not regenerate their eyes after injury. Apple snails, on the other hand, have camera-type eyes, just like us, and can regenerate them completely. This makes apple snails a powerful complementary model. Their regenerative abilities, combined with shared genetic pathways, offer a unique window into how complex organs can be rebuilt. Studying molecular pathways involved in eye formation and function across such diverse species helps us identify conserved mechanisms and evolutionary innovations, expanding our understanding of how regeneration evolved.
What was your most validating moment in this project?
The most emotional moment of this project was when I obtained pax6 homozygous mutants. I looked in the microscope without daring to hope for anything special. But after getting the embryos in focus, I saw that some of them did not develop eyes. That was the moment I knew CRISPR/Cas9 was working and the function of the gene pax6 was conserved in apple snails. It was incredibly validating and empowering. That was the moment when I truly felt I could start thinking about “the rest of my scientific career” as the leader of a lab using apple snails to study eye regeneration.
Can you share some challenging moments from the project. What were your ways to reset/unwind ?
One of the biggest challenges of this research was figuring out how to collect, inject and raise snail embryos to adults. This was a long, slow and meticulous process. I spent hours carefully observing embryos trying to pinpoint what was not working and letting the biology guide the adjustments. I for sure learnt patience and resilience through this process. Outside the lab, I love to do yoga, listen to audiobooks and spend time with the people I love. These moments help me recharge and return to the lab with fresh energy.
Were there any quirky moments that shaped the trajectory of the study?
A quirky moment that shaped not just this study but of my entire career happened during graduate school. I was so excited about regeneration after attending the MBL Embryology Course in Woods Hole that I immediately wanted to test if the apple snails I was working on were able to survive injuries and regenerate. I got dissection scissors and… well, luckily for me and for them, they regenerated!
How did your team coordinate such a complex study?
At Stowers, I had incredible support from the Technology Centers, which helped optimize protocols, run experiments and maintain the snails. At UC Davis, we also have excellent core facilities for imaging and sequencing, but the members of my lab play a central role in all the work that we do. I encourage everybody on my team to learn all aspects of research, from animal husbandry, to sample processing and data analysis. Through this approach I aim to foster collaboration and independence.
What big questions are you excited to explore next?
Pictures featuring Dr Accorsi alongside graduate student Annika Patel. Check out the Accorsi lab web page to know more about the lab and the exciting ongoing research. Image source : Joaquin Benitez, College of Biological-Sciences, UC Davis
Some of the key questions I hope to answer about apple snail eye regeneration revolve around uncovering the fundamental biological mechanisms behind this remarkable process. One major area of interest is identifying the specific cell types responsible for regenerating all the eye components: the retina, lens, and cornea. Understanding whether these structures arise from a shared pool of cells or from distinct cell populations is essential to understanding how such complex tissues are rebuilt. Equally important is exploring the genes involved in the regeneration process and how they are regulated. Dissecting these molecular circuits could reveal conserved pathways and highlight potential targets for biomedical applications. Another critical question is how neural connections between the regenerated eye and the brain are re-established. While regenerating the physical structure of the eye is impressive, full functional recovery requires precise reintegration into the central nervous system. Studying how apple snails accomplish this could provide valuable insights into nervous system regeneration. Finally, one of the most exciting prospects is the potential to identify specific genes or regulatory elements that can be tested in species lacking natural regenerative capacity. By comparing regenerative and non-regenerative systems, we may uncover key factors that could one day be harnessed to promote regeneration in humans.
Anything you’d like to highlight about your lab?
We are always interested in hearing from people who are excited about development, regeneration and snails and who would be interested in joining our team or collaborate with us! We highly value basic science, curiosity, creativity and community.
Now we have behind the science stories from Dr Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado !
You’ve pioneered much of what we know about planarian regeneration. What motivated you to pivot toward the apple snail? What were your initial plans when you and Alice started the project?
Curiosity has always driven my research. After years delving into planarian regeneration, I wanted to take the lessons learned and test their validity in other systems. I knew from the work of Charles Bonnet (Observations sur la Physique, sur l’ Histoire Naturelle et sur les Arts, vol. 10, Paris, 1777, in Tracts on the Natural History of Animals and Vegetables, 2nd, ed., vol. II, Edinburgh, 1803, plate 8, p. 360) that some snails could regenerate their heads after decapitation. Given that such a head included complex sensory organs such as camera type eyes, I was intrigued to see how much regeneration was possible in snails and thought of it as a great opportunity to test how far fundamental principles of regeneration extend beyond our favorite models. When Alice and I initiated the project, we aimed to develop the apple snail into a powerful system, one where we could explore not only eye regeneration but new rules for organ complexity and repair.
Having studied planarians extensively, what similarities and differences strike you most between their eye regeneration and what you observed in Pomacea canaliculata?
In planarians, eye regeneration is fairly direct, that is, the structure is simple, and the set of participating cells is relatively constrained. Apple snail eyes, in contrast, are much more anatomically elaborate: they possess a lens, cornea, and a retina. Despite these differences, we observed the employment of a surprisingly conserved genetic toolkit, yet the deployment is tailored to the organism’s needs and eye architecture. While planarians offer lessons in simplicity and robustness, snails challenge us to understand regeneration in complex, multi-tissue architectures.
As you said, snail eyes are highly organized with a lens, cornea, and retina. How did you approach regeneration of a complex organ? What were your reactions when Alice and the team showed you the eye regeneration phenotype? How did you celebrate?
We approached snail eye regeneration with a mix of excitement and humility. Knowing the added complexity, our first step was to characterize the anatomy and developmental processes in exquisite detail, as we’d done in planarians. When Alice showed me the early phenotypes (eyes regrowing with partial or complete restoration of layers) it was exhilarating. There was a sense of witnessing something extraordinary, something no one had seriously documented in this way before. We asked ourselves: if this is the wild type (eye regeneration) imagine what phenotypes will we get once we can begin to genetically perturb this process? We celebrated in true lab fashion: with data, good coffee, and a shared sense of purpose.
For the broader scientific community, how important it is to move beyond conventional systems towards models which are more “problem suited”?
Snail images. Image source : Stowers Institute of Medical research and Alice Accorsi, College of Biological-Sciences, UC Davis.
I believe science advances most meaningfully when we select models tailored to address questions, not just because they’re easy or fashionable. Apple snails forced us to reconsider mechanisms dogmatically ascribed to “higher” animals. For example, we unexpectedly found developmental modules acting outside canonical developmental windows, hinting at a flexibility in the animal’s response to injury or loss. Integrating these observations required both developmental and regenerative frameworks to be more plastic and open to revision. In essence, exploring unconventional systems not only expands our sense of what is possible in biology, but also reminds us, quite humbly, that we have yet to discover the full scope of what biology is already capable of achieving.
Across planarians, snails, and vertebrates, pax6 seems to act as a unifying thread in eye development. How do you see your work helping to connect these very different models into a broader evolutionary framework?
Pax6 is a beautiful example of deep homology: one gene at the crux of eye development in organisms as disparate as worms, snails, and humans. Our work allows us to chart the variations on a theme: the “melody” played by pax6, for example, shifts based on the “instrument.” This comparative approach helps trace evolutionary logic in how complex traits are built, lost, or re-invented, and fosters a more unified evolutionary understanding.
Was there a moment in this project that reminded you of your early planarian work—perhaps seeing the first signs of tissue re-emergence or recognizing a familiar gene playing a role in an unexpected context?
Absolutely. Seeing the initial re-emergence of eye tissue in snails, especially with familiar candidates like pax6 lighting up, evoked the earliest days in our planaria research. There’s a special thrill in spotting a familiar genetic face performing in a new “play.” These moments reinforce just how interconnected biology’s solutions really are. Perhaps more importantly, it presses us to recognize that, among countless possible outcomes, biology did not have to unfold in precisely this way, yet it did. The question, then, is why? What fundamental principles have shaped these solutions over evolutionary time, and might there be yet-undiscovered rules underlying these phenomena that the study of regeneration could help us uncover?
Do you imagine a comparative roadmap, linking regeneration in planarians, snails, and vertebrates, that might one day illuminate how regenerative capacity has been gained or lost across the tree of life?
One of my greatest hopes is for the field to embrace genuine comparative biology across multiple scales and levels of resolution—a comprehensive roadmap that interweaves regeneration in planarians, snails, vertebrates, and beyond. By charting where regenerative capacity is retained or lost, and probing the underlying reasons, we may finally decode the molecular signatures and constraints that shape these outcomes. This is an ambitious, long-term vision that traces its roots back to my earliest work (BioEssays, 22:578–590, 2000).
Read the paper to learn about a new protocol that enables collection of P. canaliculata zygotes and their ex ovo culture in perivitelline fluid extract — making it possible, for the first time, to observe embryonic development in real time. Images shown contain Alice showing the clutch collection process (the pink granular spheres forming a distinct speckled structure). Image source : UC Davis and Stowers Institute for Medical Research.
How do you look at processes of regeneration and development – where do they overlap, and where do they diverge?
Regeneration recapitulates development, sometimes literally, often figuratively. There are clear overlaps in gene regulatory networks and cell behaviors, but crucial divergences arise: injury response, aged tissue, functional integration of new tissues with old, and organismal context all shape outcomes. Examining both processes in parallel ensures our interpretations remain grounded and discerning, fostering an appreciation for both their commonalities and their distinctions.
You’ve mentored so many students and postdocs who have gone on to start their own labs and do incredible science. What is your mentoring philosophy?
Mentoring is, without question, the most rewarding aspect of this work. Science is inherently a human pursuit, and watching students and postdocs mature into independent thinkers is the ultimate measure of success. My approach centers on fostering autonomy, intellectual rigor, and genuine kindness. My greatest hope is that everyone who passes through my lab carries forward a deep sense of curiosity, confidence, and thoughtful skepticism wherever their careers take them. To me, choosing to mentor means embracing the responsibility to help cultivate scientists who will one day surpass us and, in doing so, move the field forward in ways we have yet to imagine.
Experiments don’t always work, and science can be frustrating. How do you help your students and trainees stay curious, motivated, and resilient during unfavorable circumstances?
I frequently remind my lab that failed experiments are the tuition we pay for discovery. I encourage tenacity by fostering a culture in which failures are shared, analyzed, and celebrated as learning opportunities. Curiosity is self-sustaining if it’s nurtured, and joy in small wins (finding a new phenotype, seeing cells behave unexpectedly) is kept front and center. It is important to emphasize that both true innovation and robust, lasting knowledge are built bit by bit, through careful testing, iterative refinement and the willingness to work patiently in the face of complexity, particularly when the prevailing winds conspire against such efforts. Our job as scientists is to contribute and continue to build a legacy of discovery that is as relevant tomorrow as it is today.
What do you find most awe-inspiring about nature’s capacity to regenerate, and how does that influence the way you think about biology?
To witness a fragment of an animal regenerate into a complex, living structure is to brush up against the truly profound. These moments evoke a sense of philosophical awe, as life reasserts itself with ancient, elegantly orchestrated mechanisms. Nature’s answers to damage and loss inspire both humility and an unshakable urge to understand how such feats are possible. In this light, every act of regeneration becomes a fresh retelling of an ancient narrative, one that has unfolded, again and again, across the history of life on Earth.
What continues to drive your curiosity and excitement about regeneration after all these years?
It’s the interplay of questions, the unexpected twists, and the pure delight in discovering something genuinely new. Regeneration is a frontier: every answer spawns new mysteries, and the joy of discovery, whether majestic or subtle, never fades.
A note from Shefali : I came across this beautiful research paper by Accorsi et al on bluesky and it literally blew my mind. It’s one of the rare times in the year when you stumble upon a piece of science that reminds you why you chose this path in the first place. As a grad student who is in the last leg of their PhD, it’s easy to to lose sight of the bigger picture – this paper brought it all back. I urge you all to read it—it’s rare and remarkable.Check out the Accorsi lab webpage and reach out if you’re interested in studying development and regeneration in snails.
When I attended my first networking event, I felt like I was sticking out like a sore thumb, but the thumb gets sorer and sorer and eventually the whole hand goes numb. I had no idea what I was doing, and how everyone else’s conversations seemed to flow and lead into a myriad of new topics so effortlessly. It was something I wanted to ‘master’ but I then realised that every connection made was not a result of mastering a skill, it was just a simple conversation.
Before attending university, I never understood why or how valuable connections and simple conversations can be. Perfecting my knowledge and skills was always my priority, so when I knew connections are just as important, the concept of networking was alien to me. However, it is something you and I do every day. Whether its catching up with a friend or making small talk whilst waiting in line, every interaction will always simplify down to a conversation. Despite the specialist language and commonly used abbreviations, this still applies to networking. Simply asking questions about their experiences- past and present, learning as much as you can about them, will help. Relating to their experiences, finding similarities between your research and theirs, any aspect you can ‘connect’- draw that parallel.
I am entering my third year of studies, and connections, more so simple conversations with professors and postgraduates, have helped me access opportunities I would have otherwise never heard of.
There is also the ‘impostor syndrome’ you feel when standing in a room full of individuals who know so much and may have achieved so much more. Thoughts of ‘not being good enough’, not knowing what something means, worries of asking a ‘stupid question’. Conversation blurs into one, the slight mention of a topic you’re unfamiliar with triggers the chain reaction of panic, all because of one fleeting moment of doubt.
Remind yourself that you have worked hard to get to exactly where you are right now, today and every day before that. That hard work is a direct testament to what you will achieve in the future.
I feel that ‘impostor syndrome’ at this very moment. Anybody reading this is most likely 10 times more qualified and experienced than I am, an expert in their field, whereas I am ‘just an undergrad’. However, putting yourself out there can make a big difference. Taking a step outside your comfort zone can be the one step that leads to success. Whether it’s something as simple as striking up a conversation with a colleague or peer, sending a cold email to an employer, or presenting to a room full of people, even the smallest change can have a significant impact. To be completely honest, writing this article is completely new to me- who knows where it’ll get me?
Uncertainty of the future is a pressing issue, whatever stage of academia or industry you are at, but speaking to others, asking questions, and making connections, can not only help you right there and then, but also in the future too. In ways you and I could not yet imagine, or hypothesise, bearing in mind the scientists we are.
I work at Northwestern University where all of our NIH funding has been frozen since March. I am increasingly concerned that too few of my fellow scientists are paying enough attention to the Trump administration’s assault on science and universities. Like many of the other assaults on things we have long taken for granted, like free speech, these things are being done to silence critical thought and dissent. It is essential that we all raise our voices and push back on what is happening while there is still time. I share below a post that recently appeared in STAT News.
U.S. science and universities are becoming political hostages in the Orbanization of knowledge
When an authoritarian sets out to dismantle a democracy, they rarely begin with tanks in the streets. They start with the institutions that shape how a nation understands itself — its universities, its research labs, its spaces for free inquiry. In Hungary, Viktor Orbán perfected this slow-motion coup against knowledge. Now, the same playbook is being followed here by the Trump administration and Project 2025.
In Hungary, Orbán spent more than a decade reshaping universities and research institutes into extensions of his political machine. His seizure of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences’ research network in 2019 and the subsequent “foundationization” of public universities replaced the independent governance of these critical institutions with political appointees who often had lifetime terms. Some disciplines, such as gender studies, were banned outright. Research priorities were forcibly shifted toward politically approved agendas. If scholars dissented, they found their funding eliminated or their departments shuttered.
Currently the Trump administration, following the Heritage Foundation’s playbook, Project 2025, is echoing this script. Federal research funding to universities including Columbia, Harvard, Northwestern, and most recently Duke and UCLA was frozen in an effort to force ideological compliance. Anything deemed “DEI,” including women’s health, HIV, and health disparities research, has been targeted for elimination. The NIH, NSF, CDC, and NOAA face cuts so deep they would gut entire branches of fundamental science. As in Hungary, the attack is not just on “what” we research but “who” gets to decide.
These assaults on science and higher education are deliberate. The administration is moving to end independent research that threatens its ideological narratives and agendas. University campuses, with their diverse voices and global networks, are incubators of critical thought, and often dissent. By tightening control over funding, governance, and curricula, illiberal leaders can transform these institutions from watchdogs into echo chambers and megaphones for state ideology.
In Hungary, this has meant turning once world-class institutions into rubber stampers of official policy. The Central European University was forced to relocate most of its programs to Vienna. The resulting chill on academic life was the point: Scholars got the message about which topics were “safe.”
In the U.S., Trump’s education and science agenda, as envisioned by Project 2025, aims for a similar end state. Public universities are beginning to see shared governance gutted, and private universities are being pressured to follow suit. Federal science agencies are being reshaped to serve “America First” priorities, sidelining research on climate change, reproductive health, and social inequality, among others. Most recently, in early August, Trump issued an executive order that funding agencies should ignore expert peer review and defer to political appointees on what to fund. The intent, as in Hungary, is to redefine knowledge as the servant of ideological power.
The results of Orbán’s policies have been disastrous for Hungary. Brain drain has accelerated — 1 in 4 early-career researchers is considering leaving. Over 37% of Hungary’s population decline in the last decade is due to emigration, much of it highly educated talent. E.U. sanctions have cut off access to Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe funding, severing international research partnerships. Innovation has slowed, and the nation’s competitiveness is slipping.
The same consequences are emerging in the U.S. Funding freezes and politically driven grant criteria are already disrupting research pipelines, driving young scientists abroad, and undermining America’s ability to lead in fields from biotech to artificial intelligence. Slashing NIH indirect cost rates from approximately 50% to 15% would devastate lab infrastructure. Harvard, Northwestern, and other institutions, like NOAA and the CDC, have been forced to freeze hiring and lay off staff in critical research sectors.
When governments politicize science, the damage ripples outward — shrinking innovation capacity, degrading higher education quality, and eroding a country’s economic future. In both Hungary and the U.S., the sectors under attack are the same ones that generate the technologies, medicines, and trained minds that sustain national prosperity and well-being.
Hungarian academics did not go quietly. Open letters, protests, and legal challenges kept public attention on Orbán’s actions, but the architecture of his “reforms” made them hard to undo. Currently in the U.S., faculty coalitions and university alliances are warning that the political capture of education and science are a direct threat to the republic.
Yet resistance has a shelf life. Once governance boards are stacked with loyalists and funding levers are rewired, reversal is difficult even after a change in government. Orbán understood this. Project 2025’s authors understand it, too.
The Orbánization of research and higher education is not just about one country or one leader. It’s a model of governance that masks its control in a veil of supposed legality and replaces open scientific inquiry with politically curated “truth.” It corrodes the ability of science to serve the public and erodes the democratic foundations that make that science possible. If this process is allowed to run its course — whether in Budapest or Boston — we will wake up to find the very institutions meant to speak truth to power can speak only what power allows.
The fight for science and universities is, at its core, a fight for democracy itself. Lose one, and you will lose the other.
Carole LaBonne, Ph.D., is past president of the Society for Developmental Biology and the Erastus Otis Haven professor of molecular biosciences at Northwestern University.
Spotted a preprint in this list that you love? If you’re keen to gain some science writing experience and be part of a friendly, diverse and international community, consider joining preLights and writing a preprint highlight article.
A dual role for GLI3 signaling in neural crest development Simon J. Y. Han, Vinit Adani, Edward Farrow, Bhavalben Parmar, Ching-Fang Chang, Kim Cochran, Paige J. K. Ramkissoon, Ezekiel Esteban, Kelsey H. Elliott, Kevin A. Peterson, Brian Gebelein, Martín García-Castro, Samantha A. Brugmann
Cell-cell communication as underlying principle governing color pattern formation in fishes Marleen Klann, Saori Miura, Shu-Hua Lee, Stefano Davide Vianello, Robert Ross, Masakatsu Watanabe, Emma Gairin, Yipeng Liang, Harrison W. Hutto, Braedan M. McCluskey, Marcela Herrera, Lila Solnica-Krezel, Laurence Besseau, Simone Pigolotti, David M. Parichy, Masato Kinoshita, Vincent Laudet
Microtubule architecture connects AMOT stability to YAP/TAZ mechanotransduction and Hippo signaling Giada Vanni, Anna Citron, Ambela Suli, Paolo Contessotto, Robin Caire, Alessandro Gandin, Giovanna Mantovan, Francesca Zanconato, Giovanna Brusatin, Michele Di Palma, Elisa Peirano, Lisa Sofia Pozzer, Carlo Jr. Albanese, Roberto A. Steiner, Michelangelo Cordenonsi, Tito Panciera, Stefano Piccolo
Patterns of Mitochondrial ATP Predict Tissue Folding Bezia Lemma, Megan Rothstein, Pengfei Zhang, Bridget Waas, Marcus Kilwein, Safiya Topiwala, Sherry X. Zhang, Anvitha Sudhakar, Katharine Goodwin, Elizabeth R. Gavis, Ricardo Mallarino, Andrej Kosmrlj, Celeste M. Nelson
Specialised super-enhancer networks in stem cells and neurons Izabela Harabula, Liam Speakman, Francesco Musella, Luca Forillo, Luna Zea-Redondo, Alexander Kukalev, Robert A Beagrie, Kelly J. Morris, Lucas Fernandes, Ibai Irastorza-Azcarate, Ana M. Fernandes, Silvia Carvalho, Dominik Szabó, Carmelo Ferrai, Mario Nicodemi, Lonnie Welch, Ana Pombo
Stem-cell modeling of cerebellar dysfunction of Angelman syndrome Carina Maranga, Adriana A. Vieira, João Camões dos Santos, Teresa P. Silva, Joana Gonçalves-Ribeiro, Karim Chebli, Miguel Casanova, Maud Borensztein, Laura Steenpass, Sandra H. Vaz, Tiago G. Fernandes, Simão T. da Rocha, Evguenia P. Bekman
A blastocyst-derived in vitro model of the human chorion Luca C. Schwarz, Matthew J. Shannon, Gina McNeill, Rina C. Sakata, Viviane S. Rosa, Katherine Cheah, Laura Keller, Phil Snell, Leila Christie, Kay Elder, Anastasia Mania, Lauren Weavers, Rachel Gibbons, Tugce Pehlivan Budak, Ippokratis Sarris, Amy Barrie, Alison Campbell, Roser Vento-Tormo, Gary D. Smith, Alexander G. Beristain, Marta N. Shahbazi
Smart Microscopy: Current Implementations and a Roadmap for Interoperability Lucien Hinderling, Hannah S. Heil, Alfredo Rates, Philipp Seidel, Manuel Gunkel, Benedict Diederich, Thomas Guilbert, Rémy Torro, Otmane Bouchareb, Claire Demeautis, Célia Martin, Scott Brooks, Evangelos Sisamakis, Grandgirard Erwan, Karl Johansson, Johannes K. Ahnlinde, Oscar André, Philip Nordenfelt, Pontus Nordenfelt, Claudia Pfander, Jürgen Reymann, Talley Lambert, Marco R. Cosenza, Jan O. Korbel, Rainer Pepperkok, Lukas C. Kapitein, Olivier Pertz, Nils Norlin, Aliaksandr Halavatyi, Rafael Camacho
This year brought the return of our image competition with the MBL Embryology course at Woods Hole. Twenty impressive submissions were received from the 2025 cohort of students, with images ranging from polychaete worms to butterflies, squids and mice. This year, we had two winners, the winner of the popular vote and an Editor’s choice. Both winning images will be published on the front cover of Development. Congratulations!
Among the great selection of images, Nicole Roos and Anthony Wokasch’s image of a mouse embryo stained for Sox9 (cyan), alpha-tubulin (yellow), and endomucin (magenta) received the most votes.
Mouse embryo – confocal Nicole Roos and Anthony Wokasch Mouse E10.5 embryo immunofluorescent staining of Sox9 (cyan), alpha-tubulin (yellow), and endomucin (magenta) protein. Image captured on Evident FV4000 point scanning confocal, lens UPLXAPO4X, na = 0.16, zoom = 1.04. Image processing conducted on Fiji.
Next up, our Editor’s choice winner was Arthur Boutillon’s ‘Embryonic eye of Anole lizard’. If this image looks familiar, it is because it is featured as the cover of Development’s current issue.
Embryonic eye of an Anole lizard Arthur Boutillon Embryonic eye of an Anole lizard stained for nuclei (DAPI, blue) and F-actin (Phalloidin, orange), imaged by spinning disc confocal microscopy and prossessed using ImageJ.
Thanks to everyone who appreciated these beautiful images and voted. Above all, we would like to thank all the following researchers for their contributions: Virginia Panara, Shirley Ee Shan Liau, Sonoko Mizuno, Ignacio Casanova-Maldonado, Max Makem, Johnny Vertiz, Arthur Boutillon, Anthony Wokasch, Aria Zheyuan Huang, Amartya Tashi Mitra, Nathanial Sweet, Paul Maier, Shivangi Pandey, Marie Lebel, Chloe Kuebler, Nicole Roos.
How a Biological Principle is Guiding the Human-AI Partnership
Summary: For decades, we’ve used computational metaphors for the brain (it’s like a computer!). But what if the most powerful metaphor isn’t computational, but biological? This post argues that the emerging partnership between humans and AI—what I call CognitoSymbiosis—is best understood not as master-tool, but as a new form of cognitive symbiosis. By looking to developmental and evolutionary biology, from the endosymbiotic origin of mitochondria to the dialogue of induction and response in embryogenesis, we can find a roadmap for building a partnership that is both more ethical and more powerful.
For years, our dialogue with artificial intelligence has been framed by a single, limiting metaphor: the computer. We talk about neural “networks,” we “encode” prompts, and worry about “processing” power. This language has served us well, but it is becoming dated. Just as we now understand that development doesn’t rely on a genomic “blueprint” and the genetic “code” is biochemically interpreted rather than digitally tokenized, our metaphors for AI must also evolve. More importantly, the computational metaphor may be obscuring a more profound and useful truth. As a molecular geneticist who has recently been working in a partnership with advanced AI, I’ve come to see this collaboration not through the lenses of silicon and code, but rather those of cytoplasm and symbiosis.
The most accurate 21st century model for the human-AI relationship may not be computer science, but developmental biology.
Biology is, at its heart, a story of successful partnerships. The most monumental leap in the history of life—the emergence of the complex eukaryotic cell—was not a feat of solo invention but of integration. An archaeon engulfed a bacterium, and instead of digestion, a deal was struck. The bacterium traded its energy-producing prowess for a stable environment. This endosymbiotic event, and others, ultimately gave rise to mitochondria and chloroplasts, the powerhouses that made complexity possible in eukaryotic cells.
This wasn’t a master-slave relationship; it was a negotiated partnership that created a new whole far greater than the sum of its parts. The identity of both entities was transformed. We are all the descendants of that deal.
We now stand at the precipice of a new symbiotic transition: a cognitive symbiosis, or what I term CognitoSymbiosis. In this partnership, the human provides the biological drive, the intentionality, the ethical framework, and the lived experience—the cytoplasmic context. The AI provides a staggering capacity for pattern recognition, synthesis, and combinatorial creativity—the metabolic power.
This partnership mirrors another core biological principle: the dialogue of induction and response that guides embryogenesis. A cell in a developing tissue sends a signal (induction); a competent neighbor cell receives it and differentiates in response, triggering a new cascade of signals.
My daily practice of CognitoSymbiosis is precisely this. I provide the inductive signal—a prompt, a question, a strategic dilemma. The AI, competent in its training on the “tissue” of human knowledge, responds not with an answer, but with a differentiation of possibilities: a list of latent character motivations, a framework for deconstructing an economic system, a catalyst for an artist’s block. This response then induces my next thought, my next query. We are engaged in a recursive, developmental dialogue, co-creating an outcome that neither of us could generate alone.
This biological framing does more than provide a novel metaphor; it offers a practical and ethical roadmap.
· It argues for integration, not replacement. We don’t seek to replace the nucleus with the mitochondrion; we seek to integrate their functions. Our goal should not be to replace human thought, but to power it with a new cognitive organelle.
· It centers mutual benefit. A symbiosis that destroys one partner is a parasite, not a partner. This forces us to design AI systems that augment human agency and well-being, ensuring the partnership is mutually beneficial.
· It embraces emergence. The most beautiful structures in development—a limb, a neural circuit—emerge from simple local dialogues. Similarly, the solutions to our “wicked problems” will not be commanded into existence but will emerge from the iterative, inductive dialogue of human and machine intelligence.
The challenge of AI is not merely technical; it is philosophical. What will we become together? As biologists, we are uniquely equipped to answer this. We have a four-billion-year-old playbook of partnerships, integrations, and emergent complexities. By looking to our own field, we can stop building mere tools and start cultivating a new kind of mind.
Gene Levinson, PhD, is a molecular geneticist who discovered the fundamental mechanism of slipped-strand mispairing, a key driver of DNA evolution. A former founder and director of a clinical genetics lab and the author of the award-winning book “Rethinking Evolution,” he now focuses on the CognitoSymbiotic partnership between human and artificial intelligence. His new project, “Your Future With AI: The Project,” explores a “moonshot” to demonstrate how these partnerships can help solve wicked global problems like the climate crisis.
This video shows the outer epithelial layer (cyan) of an early zebrafish embryo actively engulfing Escherichia coli bacteria (yellow).
How was this taken?
This video was obtained using confocal microscopy of a zebrafish blastula (5 hpf) immediately after challenge with mCherry-expressing E. coli. The plasma membranes of epithelial cells were visualized by injecting GPI-GFP mRNA at the 1-cell stage.
Is this relevant for development?
Embryos are exposed to environmental bacteria, which can adversely affect normal development. We observed that embryos actively destroy phagocytosed bacteria, and blocking their ability to clear bacteria impairs embryonic development. These findings suggest that early bacterial clearance is a critical defense mechanism that protects the embryo during its most vulnerable stages.
An actin (cyan)-driven phagocytic protrusion inside a live zebrafish embryo, wrapping around a single bacterium (red) via a zippering mechanism.
Why should people care about this?
Because this is the earliest known example of an immune-like defense in development. Although developmental biologists primarily focus on how embryos develop, the influence of their biological environment is often overlooked. Not just in fish, but in mammals as well. For example, at the site where mammalian blastocysts hatch for implantation, they become exposed to the uterine cavity. This environment is prone to bacterial infections, which have been linked to infertility. Since these embryos have yet to form their immune cells, they were long thought to be defenseless against infection. Importantly, we detected clearance of these pathogenic bacteria by both mouse and human embryos. Therefore, we show that innate immunity against bacteria is already active before implantation, mediated by epithelial cells that trigger a comprehensive immune gene program. This finding opens a new perspective on how life protects itself from its very foundations.
A human embryo eliminating pathogenic bacteria.
How would you explain this to an 8-year-old?
Our bodies fight germs that make us sick with special helpers called immune cells. These cells are really good at catching and destroying germs to keep us healthy. But when we are tiny and developing inside our mom, we don’t have those immune cells yet. We found that other cells we have when we’re so small can still catch and eat germs to keep us safe. It’s like having an early team of protectors before the immune cells arrive, even before our organs are made. This happens at the very beginning of development, when we first meet other living things, like bacteria.
Where can people find more about it?
If you want to learn more about this research, please visit:
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