First 3D movie tracks beetle embryo as it forms

Sandrine Ceurstemont, editor, New Scientist TV

It's the latest 3D action flick: a coordinated army of cells moving to form a beetle embryo. Captured under the microscope by zoologist Matthew Benton from the University of Cambridge and colleagues, it's the first movie of a developing beetle.

Thanks to a novel imaging technique, the video reveals the timing of cell movements for the first time. Cell nuclei, tagged with a fluorescent protein, are tracked as cells move to form different layers. The embryo forms in the deepest tissue, while cells on the outside protect it and help it grow.

Benton and his colleagues have now refined their method so that entire cells, and not just the nuclei, can be labelled and therefore captured in action. The videos should help uncover similarities and differences between the development of beetles and other animals. The researchers are also looking at how embryo development has changed throughout evolution.

If you enjoyed this video, check out the first film of a developing fruit fly or watch a mouse embryo come to life in 3D.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/1cacbd34/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cnstv0C20A120C0A20Cfirst0E3d0Emovie0Etracks0Ebeetle0Eembryo0Eas0Eit0Eforms0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

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