Getting Physical with Developmental Biology Research

By Izzy Lopez

While genetics and biochemistry research has dominated the conversation about how human bodies are formed, new research — with an old twist — is proposing that there is another star in the show of human development: mechanical forces.

At the turn of the twentieth century, medical research relied on simple mechanics to explain scientific phenomena, including how human cells morph into shape from embryo to newborn and beyond. As better chemistry techniques and DNA research burst onto the scene, however, the idea that cells could be affected by physical forces took a back seat. Now researchers are referring back to this vintage idea and bringing it into the 21st century.

During the heart’s development, its cells are exposed to a mixture of forces that cause it to spontaneously contract and pull on neighboring cells, which causes a chain reaction of cell contraction. This leads to pulsing waves that increase the stiffness of cardiac cells and eventually lead to the formation of the organ. This complex process is a result of mechanical forces being exerted by and upon heart cells and Discher’s research illuminates how organ development is a product of this exchange of mechanical forces, as well as biochemistry and genetics.

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