Here is a long-standing fascination in embryology. When we think about how many uncertainties a growing embryo is facing, it is remarkable that embryos do not grow into unrecognizable monsters.  Protein levels are different from cell to cell, environmental parameters fluctuate, genetic variations abound, size and geometry vary.  But development of embryos relies on a large network of biochemical reactions and molecular transport, both of which are sensitive to variation in concentration, temperature, rate constant, geometry, among many other parameters. … Continue reading Robustness in embryo development