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Related Concept Videos

Population Growth00:57

Population Growth

Population size is dynamic, increasing with birth rates and immigration, and decreasing with death rates and emigration. In ideal conditions with unlimited resources, populations can increase exponentially, which plots as a J-shaped growth rate curve of population size against time. This type of curve is characteristic of newly-introduced invasive species, or populations that have suffered catastrophic declines and are rebounding.However, realistic environmental conditions limit the number of...
Exponential Equations for Modeling Growth01:26

Exponential Equations for Modeling Growth

Exponential models are essential for describing rapid, multiplicative changes in natural systems, such as population growth. When a population doubles at regular intervals, the process can be modeled using a suitable base. For instance, a bacterial culture that doubles every three hours follows the model n(t)=n0⋅2t/3, where n(t) is the population at the time t.A more general model uses the natural base e, especially for continuous growth. This takes the form n(t)=n0⋅ert, where r is the relative...
Nature and Nurture01:10

Nature and Nurture

Many human characteristics, like height, are shaped by both nature—in other words, by our genes—and by nurture, or our environment. For example, chronic stress during childhood inhibits the production of growth hormones and consequently reduces bone growth and height. Scientists estimate that 70-90% of variation in height is due to genetic differences among individuals, and 10-30% of variation in height is due to differences in the environments that individuals experience, such as differences...
Exponential Growth01:29

Exponential Growth

Bacterial populations exhibit exponential growth when conditions such as nutrient availability and temperature are favorable. In this phase, cells reproduce through binary fission, where each cell divides into two identical daughter cells. This process causes the population to double at regular intervals, resulting in a growth rate that is directly proportional to the current number of cells. As the population increases, the number of new cells formed during each generation also grows, creating...
Growth versus Fixed Mindset01:24

Growth versus Fixed Mindset

Carol Dweck introduced the term mindset to describe individuals' beliefs about their intellectual and personal capabilities. These beliefs significantly influence psychological processes such as motivation, goal-setting, and perseverance, ultimately shaping academic and life outcomes. Individuals generally possess one of two mindsets- a fixed or a growth mindset—each promoting different responses to success, failure, and challenge.Fixed vs. Growth MindsetA fixed mindset assumes that one's...
Bacterial Growth Curve01:28

Bacterial Growth Curve

The bacterial growth curve is a fundamental concept in microbiology that describes the dynamics of bacterial population growth in a closed system with controlled environmental conditions, such as temperature and nutrient availability. This curve is divided into four distinct phases: lag, log (exponential), stationary, and death phases, each reflecting a unique stage of bacterial adaptation and growth. During the lag phase, bacteria acclimate to their surroundings by synthesizing essential...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Instrumentation of Near-term Fetal Sheep for Multivariate Chronic Non-anesthetized Recordings
14:40

Instrumentation of Near-term Fetal Sheep for Multivariate Chronic Non-anesthetized Recordings

Published on: October 25, 2015

The programming effects of early growth.

Jonathan C K Wells1

  • 1Childhood Nutrition Research Centre, University College London, Institute of Child Health, London, UK. J.Wells@ich.ucl.ac.uk

Early Human Development
|October 2, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Early growth impacts future disease risk. Body composition, including lean mass and adiposity, is key, with patterns differing by country and gender, influencing long-term health outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Human growth and development
  • Metabolic health and disease
  • Developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD)

Background:

  • Early-life growth trajectories are increasingly recognized as critical determinants of later-life health.
  • Body composition development, encompassing lean mass and adiposity, plays a significant role in these associations.
  • Existing research highlights inconsistencies in how birthweight and infant weight gain relate to subsequent body composition, with potential gender and geographical variations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the role of ontogenetic body composition development in predicting subsequent disease risk.
  • To examine the influence of birthweight and infant weight gain on lean mass and adiposity.
  • To explore potential differences in these associations across industrialized and developing countries and by gender.

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Light-mediated Reversible Modulation of the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway during Cell Differentiation and Xenopus Embryonic Development

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Main Methods:

  • Review and synthesis of existing epidemiological studies examining early-life growth and subsequent body composition.
  • Analysis of associations between birthweight, infant weight gain, and measures of lean mass and adiposity.
  • Exploration of potential moderating factors such as gender and country income level.

Main Results:

  • Consistent associations observed between higher birthweight and greater subsequent lean mass.
  • Inconsistent and potentially gender-specific associations between birthweight and subsequent adiposity.
  • Systematic differences in the relationship between infant weight gain and body composition between industrialized and developing countries.
  • Evidence suggests two main pathways: constrained lean mass from poor early growth and increased adiposity from rapid catch-up growth.

Conclusions:

  • Early-life growth patterns significantly influence body composition, with implications for long-term disease risk.
  • Poor fetal and infant growth may permanently limit lean mass, reducing metabolic capacity.
  • Rapid postnatal growth and childhood weight gain may preferentially increase adipose tissue, particularly abdominal fat, raising metabolic load.
  • Individuals born small who experience substantial postnatal weight gain may face the highest disease risk due to these combined effects.