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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: July 12th, 2023

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  • I recently had a course in developmental biology and this is what I can remember the best:

    From the moment of fertilization, the egg has a ‘polarity’, thus a direction like up and down, left and right etc. This can be established by e.g. the entry point of the sperm or protein produced by the mother in one side of the egg. From here on out protein gradients and interactions on cell membranes specify where cells are and thus what kind of tissue they should become

    This early polarity leads to a certain pattern of cell division. An important part of this is the folding in of tissue layers called gastrulation, creating the beginning for the gastrointestinal tract.

    In vertebrates a streak starts to form in the embryo. This is the start of the vertebrae and the neural tube in it. Also blocks of cells called somites start to form. These blocks are very important for all kinds of tissues in the body.

    Hox genes make the cells in somites get an identity like head, arm etc. So in the end Hox genes are probably what you are looking for. If leg Hox genes are expressed where fruitfly normally have antennae, you get this horror:

    Fruitfly with legs instead of antennae










  • Nah sorry just kidding around, I think you stumbled upon a classic philosophical problem. You cannot 100% truly know that your senses are correct. I agree with ChatGPT on pragmatism here: you can try proving it all you want, you will never get there. Better to just look at all those pretty flowers nature created in this weird universe!