Life Sciences

Dance of Development

This video shows how organisms that reproduce sexually begin life as a single cell—fertilized egg—and follow similar paths of growth and development. In this exhibit a fertilized zebrafish egg goes through a series of cell divisions to create many cells. Fourteen hours after fertilization the cells begin to differentiate, becoming various types of cells (such as nerve cells, heart cells, sex cells). In a process called cell migration, differentiated cells travel to specific spots in the organisms, where they develop into different organs (such as eyes, mouth, heart, or limbs).