Life begins with a single fertilized cell that gradually transforms into a multicellular organism. This process requires precise coordination; otherwise, the embryo could develop serious complications ...

Decades of research has viewed DNA as a sequence-based instruction manual; yet every cell in the body shares the same genes – so where is the language that writes the memory of cell identities?

Stem cells are unique in their ability to develop into various types of cell. Around a week after conception, embryonic cells begin to differentiate into different forms, including muscles, liver and ...

Taken from the December 2021 issue of Physics World where it first appeared under the headline "The shape of things". Later chapters explore more recent topics such as artificial intelligence and – ...