Developmental biology goes virtual

As written in the well-known textbook Developmental Biology, “One of the critical differences between you [as an embryo] and a machine is that the machine is never required to function until after it is built.”

Yet, scientists are turning to machines to help them model and understand the very thing machines don’t have to do — develop and evolve their function.

Our understanding of human development continues to grow, but these findings often remain disparate and disconnected from the bigger picture of development. For one a variety of model systems help make discoveries, from mice to fruit flies, each focusing on a few specific cell types or a single organ system.