Developmental Biology

The Eighth Edition of Developmental Biology expands its coverage of the mechanisms of development, the roles that environmental factors play in development, the medical applications of our knowledge of development, and the roles that development plays in evolution, highlighting all the incredible advances that have been made in the last three years. Written primarily for undergraduate biology majors, it also serves to introduce graduate students and medical students to developmental biology.

A completely updated text integrates classical developmental biology with contemporary techniques, including new material on: stem cells niches; microRNAs; sperm-egg attraction and binding; induction and maintenance of pluripotency; pioneer transcription factors and the recruitment of nucleosome remodeling proteins; left-right gene expression asymmetry; heart chamber specification; neural crest cell specification and differentiation; somite formation; human brain growth genes; the syndetome; new sources of muscle precursor cells; newly discovered mechanisms of teratogenesis; the effects of endocrine disruptors on human development; sex determination pathways in the brain; the effects of maternal nutrition on gene expression and disease susceptibility in the adult offspring; controversies over digit specification in birds and dinosaurs and whether mammalian blastomere fate is biased at the first division; and much more. Included with every copy of the book is Vade Mecum2: An Interactive Guide to Developmental Biology. In addition to a wealth of interactive content, this updated version includes a new Teachers' and Student's Resource with PowerPoint® slides of chick whole mounts and serial sections. A searchable PDF file on the CD contains full citations for the book's literature cited, with links to PubMed. The CD also includes Mary Tyler's laboratory manual, Developmental Biology: A Guide for Experimental Study, Third Edition, in electronic (PDF) format. textbook and provides more information for advanced students, historical, philosophical, and ethical perspectives on issues in developmental biology, movies, interviews, Web links, and updates. The website includes the full bibliography of literature cited in the book (over 5,000 references), most of which are linked to their PubMed citations.

SCOTT F. GILBERT is Howard A. Schneiderman Professor of Biology at Swarthmore College, USA, and teaches Developmental Biology, Developmental Genetics and the History of Biology. SUSAN R. SINGER is at the Department of Biology, Carleton College, Minnesota, USA .