Description
During gastrulation, tissue layers are formed and the overall body plan is established. This book is the definitive guide to this vitally important period in embryonic development, providing authoritative and up to date information that includes the first comprehensive interspecies comparison, cell movements and patterning events, the roles of individual genes and gene families, and the evolution of gastrulation.
Reviews
“I enthusiastically recommend this book, and expect it will be highly valuable to students, teachers and researchers. The book provides a comprehensive, authoritative and modern view of our knowledge of gastrulation, and captures the excitement in this rapidly developing field. I imagine that many young readers will become intrigued by gastrulation and at least a few will become hooked by it forever after reading this book.”
—Development
“The coverage of key topics within each chapter is comprehensive and well illustrated with numerous figures and the effort made to keep the styles of writing and illustrations consistent between chapters is helpful. The different chapters, each one written by experts in the field, not only give us the facts, but also clearly communicate the enthusiasm that the authors have for their topics.”
—Nature Cell Biology
“This book is essential reading for biology teachers and scientists interested in developmental biology. The technical jargon is kept to a minimum and the glossary, placed at the beginning, can make any prospective reader comfortable....The photos and figures are truly magnificent, something for which developmental biologists have a reputation. In addition, there are supplemental data and gastrulation movies on several species at the accompanying Web site (www.gastrulation.org).”
—The American Biology Teacher
“Stern is to be congratulated on the organization of [this] volume, which analyzes gastrulation on a series of structural and functional levels. This is the most logical and satisfying way to present such a complex subject to either an audience of experts or to students....
This book will be the reference on gastrulation for many years to come. I would recommend it highly to any developmental biologist, whether their research is in the area of gastrulation or not. I would also recommend it as a text or reference for an advanced undergraduate or graduate topics course that might want to use gastrulation as a focus area.”
—Developmental Dynamics
“The book succeeds by not limiting discussion to today's most popular model organisms and trendy molecules, but by including many organisms that have virtually disappeared from meeting presentations. The book contains 54 chapters separated into five parts that cover embryology, cell biology, molecular biology, evolution, and a brief overview of remaining questions. Chapter authors were encouraged to cite the primary literature in lieu of reviews, which should ensure that the book stands as a lasting resource for current and future developmental biologists. Intended for researchers, teachers, and students, some chapters will be accessible to all, while others will only be readily understood by advanced readers....It is a treat to skip through the chapters of this book. Readers will find it worth the price, and I thank Stern and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press for compiling this snapshot of gastrulation studies at the turn of the 21st century.”
—The Quarterly Review of Biology
