From cell to mouse – how tissues differentiate
Science Shedding light on the mechanisms that control the fate of embryonic cells
2019
science
Cell duplication
Picture of the week What looks like a pair of scary alien eyes is actually the final stage in the duplication of a cell. Cell duplication is preceded by a process called mitosis, in which the replicated chromosomes are separated into two new nuclei. Mitosis is the prerequisite for a cell to divide into two identical…
2019
picture-of-the-week
Most popular articles of the year: 2018
Lab Matters A collection of the most read articles from the EMBL news website in 2018
2019
lab-matters
First interactive model of human cell division
Science Real-time tracking of proteins during mitosis is now possible using a 4D computer model
2018
science
Parental chromosomes kept apart during first division
Science Mammalian life begins differently than we thought
2018
science
Cycle of life
Science Paul Nurse’s failed experiment inspired a career that would uncover key mechanisms of cell division
2016
science
Mothers and daughters
Science 1st real-time video of starfish egg cell eliminating crucial structures, to ensure embryo viability
2016
science
A cohesive structure
Science Structural insights into how cohesin keeps DNA together during the cell cycle
2016
science
First, catch your DNA
Science DNA-coralling protein complex in an unexpected bind
2014
science
Fishing games gone wrong
Science When an egg cell is being formed, the cellular machinery which separates chromosomes is extremely imprecise at fishing them out of the cell’s interior, scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, have discovered. The unexpected degree of trial-and-error…
2011
science
Keeping it together
Science As any rock-climber knows, trailing a long length of rope behind you is not easy. A dangling length of rope is unwieldy and hard to manoeuvre, and can get tangled up or stuck on an outcropping. Cells face the same problem when dragging chromosomes apart during cell division. The chromosomes are…
2011
science
Constant overlap
Science During cell division, microtubules emanating from each of the spindle poles meet and overlap in the spindle’s midzone. Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, have uncovered the molecular mechanism that determines the extent of this overlap. In a…
2010
science
Movies for the human genome
Science Name a human gene, and you’ll find a movie online showing you what happens to cells when it is switched off. This is the resource that researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, and their collaborators in the Mitocheck consortium are making freely…
2010
science
Picture Release
Science Cell division is one of the most fundamental processes of life. It explains how one cell can give rise to an organism of several million cells, it determines the shape of different life forms and it underpins our body’s capacity to heal when injured. Often we only notice how important cell…
2008
science
Researchers shed light on shrinking of chromosomes
Science A human cell contains an enormous 1.8 metres of DNA partitioned into 46 chromosomes. These have to be copied and distributed equally into two daughter cells at every division. Condensation, the shortening of chromosomes, allows the cell to handle such huge amounts of genetic material during cell…
2007
science
A matter of force
Science When a cell divides, normally the result is two identical daughter cells. In some cases however, cell division leads to two cells with different properties. This is called asymmetric cell division and plays an important role in embryonic development and the self-renewal of stem cells. Researchers…
2007
science
A switch between life and death
Science Cells in an embryo divide at an amazing rate to build a whole body, but this growth needs to be controlled. Otherwise the result may be defects in embryonic development or cancer in adults. Controlling growth requires that some cells divide while others die; their fates are determined by signals…
2006
science
ENFIN! Computational systems biology comes to a lab bench near you
Lab Matters The Commission of the European Union has awarded EUR 9 million over five years for a new Network of Excellence that will make computational systems biology accessible to bench scientists throughout Europe and beyond. ENFIN, which stands for ‘Experimental Network for Functional…
2005
lab-matters
A new link between stem cells and tumors
Science Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg and the Institute of Biomedical Research of the Parc Científic de Barcelona (IRB-PCB) have now added key evidence to claims that some types of cancer originate with defects in stem cells. The study, reported this week in…
2005
science
Actin moves chromosomes
Science Microtubules need a helping hand to find chromosomes in dividing egg cells, scientists have discovered. Although it was generally accepted that microtubules act alone as the cellular ropes to pull chromosomes into place, a new study by researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)…
2005
science
Hunt for human genes involved in cell division under way
Lab Matters A systematic search through human genes has begun at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany. Working within the MitoCheck consortium that includes 10 other institutes throughout Europe, the EMBL scientists will silence all human genes, one-by-one, to find those…
2005
lab-matters
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