Five-hundred million years ago, it was relatively safe to go back in the water. That’s because creatures of the deep had not yet evolved jaws. In a new pair of studies in eLife and Development, scientists reveal clues about the origin of this thrilling evolutionary innovation in vertebrates. In the studies, Mathi Thiruppathy from Gage…Continue Reading How did vertebrates first evolve jaws?
Year: 2022
Stem cell master’s program alumna Natasha Raj-Derouin, an MD pursuing a specialty in reproductive endocrinology and infertility
When Natasha Raj-Derouin (née Natarajan) was doing her medical school rotations at Columbia University in New York City, she was thrilled to find a subspecialty that incorporated some of the lessons she had learned in the master’s program in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine at USC. “What’s been really great is that there is…Continue Reading Stem cell master’s program alumna Natasha Raj-Derouin, an MD pursuing a specialty in reproductive endocrinology and infertility
A crowning achievement in understanding head development
Cranial neural crests cells, or CNCCs, contribute to many more body parts than their humble name suggests. These remarkable stem cells not only form most of the skull and facial skeleton in all vertebrates ranging from fish to humans, but also can generate everything from gills to the cornea. To understand this versatility, scientists from…Continue Reading A crowning achievement in understanding head development