Many animals undergo indirect development, where their embryogenesis produces an
intermediate life stage, or larva, that is often free‐living and later metamorphoses into an …

Pelagic larval stages are widespread across animals, yet it is unclear whether larvae were
present in the last common ancestor of animals or whether they evolved multiple times due …

Cell fate specification occurs along invariant species-specific trajectories that define the
animal body plan. This process is controlled by gene regulatory networks that regulate the …

Metameric somites are a novel character of chordates with unclear evolutionary origins. In
the early branching chordate amphioxus, anterior somites are derived from the paraxial …

Throughout embryonic development, the sha** of the functional and morphological
characteristics of embryos is orchestrated by an intricate interaction between transcription …

The evolutionary origin of the vertebrate brain remains a major subject of debate, as its
development from a dorsal tubular neuroepithelium is unique to chordates. To shed light on …

Studies across a diverse group of metazoan embryos indicate that Wnt signaling often
activates the transcription factor Sp5, forming a signaling 'cassette'that plays critical roles in …

The evolutionary origin of the vertebrate brain is still a major subject of debate. Its distinctive
dorsal position and development from a tubular neuroepithelium are unique to the chordate …

Bilaterian animals have evolved complex sensory organs comprised of distinct cell types
that function coordinately to sense the environment. Each sensory unit has a defined …

Thyroid hormones (THs) are small amino acid derived signaling molecules with broad
physiological and developmental functions in animals. Specifically, their function in …