A new "atlas" of early embryonic development in mammals suggests that the process is highly chaotic — but there is some method to the madness. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn ...

A stretch of viral DNA in the mouse genome gives cells in early-stage embryos the potential to become almost any cell type in ...

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, ...

The oviduct plays an indispensable role in mammalian reproduction by not only transporting gametes and embryos but also by providing a finely tuned microenvironment that supports fertilisation and ...

Researchers at The University of Queensland have for the first time captured images and video in real time of early embryonic development to understand more about congenital birth defects. Dr Melanie ...

Biologists have provided new insights on a longstanding puzzle in biology: How complex organisms arise from a single fertilized cell. Producing a new 'gene atlas' with 4-D imaging, the researchers ...

Over half of our genomes consists of thousands of remnants of ancient viral DNA, known as transposable elements, which are widespread across the tree of life. Once dismissed as the "dark side" of the ...

Cell division is an essential process for all life on Earth, yet the exact mechanisms by which cells divide during early ...

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

An international team of scientists led from Sweden's Karolinska Institutet has for the first time mapped all the genes that are activated in the first few days of a fertilized human egg. The study, ...