With the aid of single-cell sequencing technology, researchers at Harvard Medical School have mapped the beginnings of the biological development of both zebrafish and frogs from a single-cell through 24 hours of cell division and differentiation.

Laboratory zebrafish normally dechorionate in approximately 72 hours, so this short observation time is enough to record a large percentage of this creature’s gestation. Three studies published in Science (April 26, 2018) expand upon the research team’s systematic profiling of the timing and sequences of gene activations in each cell that cause the embryonic cells’ transitions.

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