Biochemical ‘DNA methylation’ marks are found across the genome in vertebrate animals, but in the early embryos of placental mammals, such as mice and humans, they are largely erased in a ‘system ...

Cellular traffic jams inside a fruit fly embryo might sound like a minor detail, but new work suggests they help flip a fundamental genetic switch. As cells pack together during early development, ...

Children born to obese mothers are at higher risk of developing metabolic disorders, even if they follow a healthy diet themselves. A new study from the University of Bonn offers an explanation for ...

The intricate process of duplicating genetic information, referred to as DNA replication, lies at the heart of the transmission of life from one cell to another and from one organism to the next. This ...

Researchers have shown that cloned embryos undergo complete nuclear reprogramming and resemble fertilized embryos. The report, appearing in the December 6 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy ...

Research from the University of Colorado Anschutz suggests that stress experienced by a father before conception may ...

In their effort to understand the very earliest stages of life and how they can go wrong, scientists are confronted with ethical issues surrounding the use of human embryos. The use of animal embryos ...

Scientists are exploring ways to mimic the origins of human life without two fundamental components: sperm and egg. They are coaxing clusters of stem cells – programmable cells that can transform into ...

One of the biggest holy grails in biology involves finding a means to generate pluripotent and infinitely replicating stem cells without generating an embryo. One Japanese team presented some potent ...