One of the fascinations of development is the sheer complexity of the process. At a basic level, the goal is to produce an organism with a coherent form, composed of cells that are properly differentiated, and located at the proper positions relative to one another. To do this, even the simplest organism needs to employ myriad genetic interactions to regulate correctly the developmental process. Furthermore, it needs to be able to perpetuate the differences between genetically identical cells as the development of the organism progresses. Finally, it needs to respond to environmental cues that may play a role in determining how the organism develops.
Development – Genetics, Epigenetics and Environmental Regulations addresses these three aspects of the development of various organisms in a series of chapters contributed by different authors. In the words of the editors, the aim of the collection is to “…cover key concepts, key approaches, and many...