How the shape of embryos and organs emerges during development is a fundamental
question that has fascinated scientists for centuries. Tissue dynamics arise from a small set …

Abstract The Human Developmental Cell Atlas (HDCA) initiative, which is part of the Human
Cell Atlas, aims to create a comprehensive reference map of cells during development. This …

Across complex, multi-time and-length scale biological systems, redundancy confers
robustness and resilience, enabling adaptation and increasing survival under dynamic …

The human brain has undergone rapid expansion since humans diverged from other great
apes, but the mechanism of this human-specific enlargement is still unknown. Here, we use …

The generation of organismal form—morphogenesis—arises from forces produced at the
cellular level. In animal cells, much of this force is produced by the actin cytoskeleton. Here …

During embryonic development, a simple ball of cells re-shapes itself into the elaborate
body plan of an animal. This requires dramatic cell shape changes and cell movements …

Cell apical constriction driven by actomyosin contraction forces is a conserved mechanism
during tissue folding in embryo development. While much is now understood of the …

Apical constriction driven by actin and non-muscle myosin II (actomyosin) provides a well-
conserved mechanism to mediate epithelial folding. It remains unclear how contractile forces …

Apoptosis plays an important role in morphogenesis, and the notion that apoptotic cells can
impact their surroundings came to light recently. However, how this applies to vertebrate …

Geometry is a fundamental attribute of biological systems, and it underlies cell and tissue
dynamics. Cell geometry controls cell-cycle progression and mitosis and thus modulates …