Animals, from worms and sponges to jellyfish and whales, contain anywhere from a few thousand to tens of trillions of nearly genetically identical cells. Depending on the organism, these cells arrange ...

One of the biggest quests in biology is understanding how every cell in an animal’s body carries an identical genome yet still gives rise to a kaleidoscope of different cell types and tissues. A ...

Animals, from worms and sponges to jellyfish and whales, contain anywhere from a few thousand to tens of trillions of nearly genetically identical cells. Depending on the organism, these cells arrange ...

While most animal cells are specialised and have fixed roles, such as skin cells, nerve cells or blood cells, pluripotent stem cells are capable of both self-renewal and differentiation into ...

Every cell in an animal's body carries the same DNA. Yet that single genetic blueprint somehow produces neurons that fire, muscles that contract, and tissues with entirely different jobs. How ...

Learn how mapping gene-control switches in an ancient sea anemone reveals how identical DNA can produce many different cell types. Every cell in an animal’s body carries the same DNA. Yet that single ...

A new study reveals evidence of electrical signaling and coordinated behavior in choanoflagellates, the closest living relatives of animals. This elaborate example of cell communication offers key ...

Embryonic germ layers are the fundamental organizing principle in animal development. They provide the structural basis from which tissues and organs arise. During early embryogenesis, cells divide to ...