WOLPERT's Principles of Development

1:History and basic concepts
2:Development of the Drosophila body plan
3:Vertebrate development I: Establishing the body plan
4:Vertebrate development II: completing the body plan
5:Morphogenesis: change in form in the early embryo
6:Cell differentiation and stem cells
7:Embryonic stem cells, embryo models, and regenerative medicine
8:Germ cells, fertilization, and sex determination
9:Organogenesis
10:Development of the nervous system
11:Growth, post-embryonic development, and regeneration
12:Plant development
13:Evolution and development

Wolpert's Principles of Development, the latest edition of the prize-winning textbook, opens up the fascinating field of developmental biology to undergraduates studying biology, medicine and veterinary science. By focusing on the underlying developmental processes which are shared by diverse organisms, the textbook lays the foundation for deep understanding 

• An emphasis throughout is on the underlying principles - which underpin not only the development of the body and its different parts but also the commonalities between the development of different organisms - and this enables students to get a clear sense of the 'big picture' of the subject.
• Custom-drawn artwork and integrated animations and videos help to make the visualisation of processes and mechanisms in this challenging subject as straightforward as possible.
• Medical Boxes explore key developmental diseases and explain how developmental biology furthers our understanding human health and disease. Further experimental detail, including Experimental Boxes, from both classic and current research, demonstrates 'how we know what we know'.
• Also available as an e-book with enhanced learning objectives, self-assessment interactive quizzes and multi-media content to offer a fully immersive experience and extra learning support.

New to this edition

• Chapter 7 is a new chapter on Embryonic stem cells, embryo models, and regenerative medicine, to ensure the book's coverage stays up to date with this very active area of research in developmental biology.
• Chapters 3 and 4 on vertebrate development have been restructured and updated, especially coverage of mouse development, to ensure major concepts and principles are explained with recent supporting experimental evidence.
• Chapter 10 on the nervous system has been completely revised and updated, with more emphasis on neural tube patterning.
• Chapter 14, which covers nematodes and sea urchins, has been made online as part of the ebook.
• There are more examples of the use of CRISPR to address problems like sickle cell disease (Ch6), and evolution of limbs from fins (Ch13).
• Examples of single-cell RNA sequencing can be found throughout the book (Ch3, Ch6, Ch7, Ch10, Ch11, Ch12).
• Smaller revisions, updates, and new figures have been included throughout.

About the Author(s)

Cheryll Tickle, Emeritus Professor, University of Bath, Alfonso Martinez Arias, ICREA Research Professor, Universidad Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Marysia Placzek, Professor of Developmental Neurobiology, University of Sheffield, and Lewis Wolpert, Late Emeritus Professor of Biology, University College London

Cheryll Tickle, Emeritus Professor, University of Bath. Her research focused on how cells become organized in embryos using the developing chick limb as her main experimental model. She has lectured on developmental biology to biology undergraduates, also medical and dental students, and to scientists from a wide range of different backgrounds, including industry and veterinarians on continuing professional development courses

Alfonso Martinez Arias, ICREA Research Professor at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. His research makes use of Pluripotent Stem Cells to develop in vitro models of early mammalian development with a focus on the process of gastrulation. Before moving to the UPF he spent 35 years at the University of Cambridge (UK) where he did research and taught Developmental Biology in graduate and undergraduate courses.

Marysia Placzek, Professor at the University of Sheffield. Marysia is a neurobiologist who studies development of the vertebrate neural tube, with a particular focus on the hypothalamus. For the last 30 years she has combined research with undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, co-ordinating modules in basic and translational developmental biology.

Lewis Wolpert was Emeritus Professor of Biology as Applied to Medicine at University College London. He was an eminent developmental biologist whose ideas have had a profound and lasting impact on the way we think about development. He believed that, even though the development of different organisms seems to be overwhelmingly complex, there are general principles. His philosophy forms the basis of Principles of Development which was first published in 1998. Lewis also authored several books aimed at the general public including The Triumph of the Embryo and an influential book on depression Malignant Sadness based partly on his own experiences.