How To Build a Body

Every cell that makes up your body — muscle cells, brain cells, gut cells, and so many more — contain the same genetic instructions in their DNA, but perform vastly different roles. All of these cell types developed from the same tiny blob of stem cells in the womb at a point before many pregnancies would even be noticed. So how do these stem cells go on to form a whole body with the right parts in the right places? And what can growing inadvertently penis-shaped blobs of cells in the lab teach us about this process?

Zebrafish, as their name suggests, are stripey animals. These little rascals went from the Ganges to the pet stores, and finally, to the spotlight of biomedical research and are helping scientists to discover novel mechanisms involved in stem cell specification. Can a little fish help us find a cure for disfiguring diseases? Can zebrafish stripes hold the key to tackle melanoma?