A Developmental Biologist is a scientist who studies the changes and processes involved in an organism's growth and development. Developmental Biology seeks to understand how complex living forms evolve from single cells during the early stages of development, and how these single cells become specialized to develop different organs.
Here are a few examples of the day-to-day tasks of a Developmental Biologist:
Studying gene expression: Developmental Biologists examine how the information in genes is expressed during the growth and development of organisms. They use laboratory techniques to study how different combinations of genetic material result in different characteristics.
Investigating cell and tissue differentiation: Developmental Biologists look at how the cells of an organism differentiate into the different tissue types and organs that make up a functioning organism.
Examining embryonic development: Developmental Biologists investigate the early stages of life, when a fertilized egg develops into a recognisable organism.
Analyzing gene mutations: Developmental Biologists use state-of-the-art technology to study how variants of different genes cause changes in an organism's growth and development.
Creating scientific models: Developmental Biologists develop models which they can use to study the development of an organism, such as computational models and 3-D computer-aided design.
Overall, Developmental Biologists strive to gain a better understanding of how a single cell can become a functioning organism. This knowledge can be applied to agriculture, medicine, or artificial life forms. Developmental Biology is an ever-growing field and will continue to provide new insights into the development of living organisms.
