When a vertebrate embryo develops, a group of cells self-organizes into the neural tube, eventually becoming the brain and the spinal cord. This involves specific signals, but how these signals are ...

Precursor cells in the embryonic neural tube are organized in a specific striped pattern which depends on the signals they receive (left). Lehr and colleagues recreated this pattern in a cell culture ...

A group of scientists at UCL have successfully created mechanical force sensors directly in the developing brains and spinal cords of chicken embryos, which they hope will improve understanding and ...

Spina bifida is a serious congenital condition caused by abnormal neural tube development during early pregnancy. While folic acid supplementation has dramatically reduced its incidence, cases persist ...

Neural crest cells are a population of stem cells that invade the embryo in early development. They play a big role in what you look like: the pigments of your eyes, of your skin, and the bone ...

Week 3 of pregnancy is a critical stage when the embryo begins to grow rapidly. During this week, cells divide at an ...

Early brain development is a biological black box. While scientists have devised multiple ways to record electrical signals in adult brains, these techniques don’t work for embryos. A team at Harvard ...