Developmental biology is studying organisms as they mature. Its origins come from embryology, and is mostly focused on the control of cell growth. These cells are found in living organisms, such as plants and animals. With advances in developmental biology, we can get a better feel for cells and how they change or evolve over time, as well as how it impacts living bodies.

Developmental biology is a literal term, meaning it's about searching for development in living things. Development can be found in many different aspects in general, such as regeneration, metamorphosis, and asexual reproduction. Plant development starts in vegetative reproduction, embryo as well as all the roots and flowers. Development can also be found in stem cells of adult organisms. One example being how plants develop in their embryos which is a vegetative reproduction.

Different functional cell types that are in development is a process known as cell differentiation. An example would be neurons or muscle fibers. These cells create vast amounts of certain proteins for a unique function, which enables them to be picked up under a microscope. Genes within these proteins are highly active. This stage is, for the most part, the final stage of development where several other states come before it.

Regeneration is when the cell grows back a missing piece. The most common place this occurs is with plants, which continuously grow. This can happen in the animal kingdom too, with newts being able to regrow their tail, or frogs being able to regrow a leg.

In total, regeneration is separated into 4 types. Two examples that can regenerate any part of their body with a single piece are hydra and planarian worms. They both make cells constantly from stem cells. The remaining two can only regenerate appendages, and are mostly insects, like the cricket which can regenerate appendages or amphibians who can regenerate legs.

In embryonic development, the sperm and egg combine to make a fertilized egg. This is also known as a zygote, and during this time, separates several times to create a ball of like cells called blastula. These cell division happen so fast that there can hardly be any cell growth. This is so the cells from the daughter are half of the size of the mother cells. This causes the cell to stay mostly the same size.

In the embryotic state, growth happens almost by itself. Every section of the cells has a growth rate which is predetermined by the active genes. Embryos that are free and living do not grow because they have no source of outside food. In contrast, embryos fed by a constant source can grow rapidly, and these changes help in the overall anatomy.

There are many parts to developmental biology. While we learn more about this, it will help us learn more about genes as well as the various cell functions being used. Advances in this field will help us learn more about how other animals link, and how we can use their regenerative powers to improve mankind.

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