Developmental Biology Protocols

Developmental biology is one of the most exciting and fast-growing fields today. In part, this is so because the subject matter deals with the innately fascinating biological events-changes in form, structure, and function of the org- ism. The other reason for much of the excitement in developmental biology is that the field has truly become the unifying melting pot of biology, and provides a framework that integrates anatomy, physiology, genetics, biochemistry, and cellular and mole- lar biology, as well as evolutionary biology. No longer is the study of embryonic development merely "e;embryology."e; In fact, development biology has produced - portant paradigms for both basic and clinical biomedical sciences alike. Although modern developmental biology has its roots in "e;experimental emb- ology"e; and the even more classical "e;chemical embryology,"e; the recent explosive and remarkable advances in developmental biology are critically linked to the advent of the "e;cellular and molecular biology revolution."e; The impressive arsenal of expe- mental and analytical tools derived from cell and molecular biology, which promise to continue to expand, together with the exponentially developing sophistication in fu- tional imaging and information technologies, guarantee that the study of the devel- ing embryo will contribute one of the most captivating areas of biological research in the next millennium.