The dance of life : the new science of how a single cell becomes a human being / Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz and Roger Highfield.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Zernicka-Goetz, Magdalena, author.

Highfield, Roger, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Zernicka-Goetz, Magdalena.

Embryologists--Biography.

Embryologists.

Fetus--Development--Research.

Fetus.

Embryonic stem cells--Research.

Embryonic stem cells.

Fetus--Development.

Research.

Genre:

Biographies.

Autobiographies.

Physical Description:

vii, 289 pages ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Basic Books, 2020.

Summary:

"Embryologist Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz has spent two decades unraveling the mysteries of fetal development. By studying embryonic mouse cells, she witnessed the embryo's ability to rid itself of abnormal cells as it prepared for implantation in the womb. When Zernicka-Goetz became pregnant at 44, she received a call that took her by surprise: a sample test of the cells in her own placenta indicated that the fetus had trisomy-2, a disastrous extra copy of the second chromosome, which increased the risk of miscarriage or serious birth defects. It seemed likely that the best choice was to have an abortion. But the plasticity of the embryonic mouse cells in her studies gave her hope; if mouse cells were able to course correct, then perhaps human cells were capable of similar resiliency. Six months later, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy, and the experience inspired her to begin a series of studies to test this hypothesis. Her subsequent experiments with early human embryos and artificial "three parent" embryos were not only groundbreaking; they also proved that embryotic cells could be artificially nurtured through the trials and tribulations of their early development. To say that her work is controversial would be an understatement, but as Zernicka-Goetz notes, harm can arise as much from doing nothing as from taking risks. And with profound implications for stem cell research, infertility treatment, prenatal diagnostic testing, immunotherapy, and genetic engineering, not to mention women's reproductive health, the stakes have never been higher. At once thought-provoking and thoroughly moving, The Dance of Life sheds new light on how a simple fertilized egg becomes a complex human being"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Chapter 1 White Dress p. 11

Chapter 2 Chance and Destiny p. 17

Chapter 3 Painting Cells p. 37

Chapter 4 Breaking Symmetry p. 55

Chapter 5 Birth of the Body Plan p. 81

Chapter 6 Cracking Open the Black Box p. 105

Chapter 7 Should Human Embryos Be Used in Research? p. 125

Chapter 8 Simon p. 141

Chapter 9 Quest for the Synthetic Embryo p. 159

Chapter 10 New Age of Creative Biology p. 181

Chapter 11 The Dance of Life p. 215.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 235-272) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Highfield, Roger, The dance of life

ISBN:

9781541699069

1541699068

OCLC:

1089516775