Egg to animal, through a scientist’s eyes

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00762-6?utm_source=Nature+Briefing&utm_campaign=84063ea0b4-briefing-dy-20200320&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c9dfd39373-84063ea0b4-44992633


Scanning electron microscope image of a human embryo in the early stages of cell division. (P. M. Motta & S. Makabe/SPL)

Egg to animal, through a scientist’s eyes

In her new book, pioneering developmental biologist Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz reflects on an epic journey studying the start of life. Drafted over 15 years, the book’s main narrative is the remarkable transformation, in just a few days, of a single spherical mammalian egg cell to a tube containing all the types of stem cell needed for a full body plan. The addition of an honest and passionate depiction of the complexity of science as a vocation makes the book even more appealing, writes reviewer Sarah Franklin.

Nature | 5 min read