“Much to our surprise, after three days in culture they begin a series [of] movements that resemble those that organize the embryo and acquire coordinates and, as in the embryo, the seeds of the ...

Alternative splicing is a fundamental biological process that allows cells to make many different types of mRNAs and proteins from a limited number of genes. For many animals, including humans, it is ...

Pregnant women rely on a balanced diet and supplements to deliver proper nutrients to their babies, to ensure they grow healthfully. Such nutrients contribute to fueling development and providing ...

Animal embryos go through a series of characteristic developmental stages on their journey from a fertilized egg cell to a functional organism. This biological process is largely genetically ...

How can we explain the morphological diversity of living organisms? Although genetics is the answer that typically springs to mind, it is not the only explanation. By combining observations of ...

In the earliest hours after fertilization, an embryo takes its first steps toward becoming a living organism by shedding maternal control and activating its own genetic program. This critical process, ...

New research combines microscope and video technology to analyze how different species develop, and how changes in the timings of any developments can be tracked. A detailed analysis of the Energy ...

By the time an embryo has reached the blastocyst stage—around day 5 or 6 in human development—it consists of several cell types. Its hollow shell is made of cells that will form the placenta (called ...

Alcohol exposure during early pregnancy often occurs before a woman realises she is pregnant. This article explains how ...

In April, researchers in China reported that they had initiated pregnancies in monkeys through a procedure seemingly much like in vitro fertilization (IVF), in which embryos created in a dish were ...