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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 7, 2026

Probing the Roles of Physical Forces in Early Chick Embryonic Morphogenesis

Probing the Roles of Physical Forces in Early Chick Embryonic Morphogenesis

Published on: June 5, 2018

Can physics help to explain embryonic development? An overview.

¹Laboratoire matière et systèmes complexes, université Paris-Diderot, 10, rue Alice-Domon-et-Léonie-Duquet, 75013 Paris, France.

Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Surgery & Research : OTSR

|September 14, 2013

Summary

Embryonic development is driven by physical forces, not just genetic changes. Analyzing tissue movement reveals how physical laws govern animal shape formation and evolution.

Keywords:

Developmental biomechanics Embryogenesis Time-lapse imaging Vertebrates

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Last Updated: May 7, 2026

Probing the Roles of Physical Forces in Early Chick Embryonic Morphogenesis

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Patterning the Geometry of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Colonies on Compliant Substrates to Control Tissue-Level Mechanics

Patterning the Geometry of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Colonies on Compliant Substrates to Control Tissue-Level Mechanics

Published on: September 28, 2019

Area of Science:

Developmental Biology
Biophysics
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

Embryonic development involves complex tissue movements.
Understanding these movements is key to understanding morphogenesis.
Traditional views often overemphasize genetic control over physical processes.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate embryonic movements using advanced imaging techniques.
To compare observed movements with physical models of living matter.
To elucidate the role of physical laws in shaping embryonic development and evolution.

Main Methods:

Utilizing digital imaging and particle image velocimetry (PIV) for quantitative analysis of embryonic movements.
Employing in vivo microscopy to capture early vertebrate development.
Comparing experimental data with physical models based on visco-elastic gel properties.

Main Results:

Identified 'morphogenetic fields' as the sum of tissue movements over time.
Demonstrated that major developmental changes can result from physical boundary condition shifts.
Showed that tissue folding can occur due to physical stress, independent of new gene activation.
Linked embryonic development to fundamental physical laws like Newton's principles.

Conclusions:

Embryonic morphogenesis is significantly influenced by physical principles.
Developmental discontinuities can be explained by physical changes rather than solely biological ones.
Physical laws provide a framework for understanding the origin and evolution of animal forms.