Biology 441 Spring 2007

Welcome to EMBRYOLOGY
(Officially titled "Vertebrate Embryology" because this department once also taught a separate course
titled "Invertebrate Embryology", which is no longer given, but may be.)

Until this year Embryology was numbered Biology 104
(For at least 50 years)

This number has now been changed to Biology 441
(Because of a nation-wide fad among administrators for renumbering courses, that finally reached the South)

Biology 441 Vertebrate Embryology Spring 2007

Albert Harris and Andrius Masedunskas

Textbook: A Photographic Atlas of Developmental Biology, Shirley J. Wright
Lectures Mon-Wed-Fri 9-9:50, 107 Wilson Hall
Albert Harris: akharris@bio.unc.edu
Office 103 Wilson Hall; phone 966-1230
Office Hours: MWF 10-12 or by prior arrangement
Home phone 493-1572 (Durham)
Andrius Masedunskas: andrius@email.unc.edu

Regarding other textbooks:
Several excellent textbooks titled "Developmental Biology" have been used as official textbooks for this course in previous years, including the books by Scott Gilbert and Bruce Carlson. However, because these books' prices became so high (> $140.00) and because new editions were re-published so frequently, with topics deliberately shifted around to make it harder to use combinations of both old and new editions, it seemed to me that the publishers were gouging students. Depending on your interest in this subject, you may want to buy new or used editions of Gilbert or Carlson's books, and hang on to them for reference use in graduate or medical school. Meanwhile, my wife Elizabeth (a Duke plant molecular biologist) and I are producing free web pages, with original drawings, animations, time-lapse movies and color slides to take the place of the over-priced and progressively more trendy, costly, and inaccurate commercial textbooks.
We are indebted to Mrs. Susan Whitfield, the Biology Dept. Artist Photographer, to Hinár Polczer, the Biology computer technician, and to Michael Salerno, for his help with converting videos to digital format. I also thank my former research collaborators Professor Calhoun Bond (Greensboro College) for movies of sponge cells, Professor Barbara Danowski (Union College) for movies of tissue culture cells responding to microtubule poisons and tumor promoters, Dr. David Stopak for movies of cells distorting collagen, soon-to-be Dr. Andrew Wheeler for the JAVA Cellular Automaton computer program, Dr. Graham Dunn (King's College, London) for movies of retrograde surface transport, and Dr. William S. Ramsey (Patent Attorney, in D.C.) for the movie of the human leucocyte (which incidentally was cultured from either my own blood or his!).
On the other hand, the UNC central administration deserves nobody's thanks for much of anything. Their only interests are winning football games, wasteful building renovations, and making under-the-table financial deals with certain computer companies, all contrary to the best interests of students and professors. This Web site and all the movies were made with Apple computers, and a total of thousands of dollars of equipment bought by me, personally.

1) Wed. Jan 10 Major events of animal development web page

2) Fri. Jan. 12 Compare embryology of sea urchin, frog, bird & mammal; similarities & differences diagram

Mon. Jan 15 Holiday in honor of Rev Martin Luther King jr.

3) Wed. Jan. 17 Rule-generated pattern formation web page

handout on cellular automata

4) Fri. Jan. 19 Cell differentiation

5) Mon. Jan. 22 Fertilization web page

6) Wed. Jan. 24 Organs that form from ectoderm web page

7) Fri. Jan. 26 Organs that form from neural crest ectoderm continuation of same web page

8) Mon. Jan. 29 Organs that form from somatic ectoderm continuation of same web page

9) Wed. Jan. 31 Organs that form from mesoderm web page

10) Fri. Feb. 2 Mesoderm, continued continuation of same web page

11) Mon. Feb. 5 First Exam review questions

12) Wed. Feb. 7 Development of male and female sex ducts, kidneys, coelom and heart web page

13) Fri. Feb. 9 Development of Heart and Circulatory System, primordial cells web page

14) Mon. Feb. 12 Development of endodermal organs, pharyngeal pouches, thyroid, lungs, etc. cloaca

15) Wed. Feb. 14 Skeletal development, cartilage and its replacement by bone

16) Fri. Feb. 16 Regulative development of embryos, as compared with "mosaic" development web page

17) Mon. Feb. 19 Key concepts and methods in the history or embryology, and those used today

18) Wed. Feb. 21 Curvature times stress equals pressure difference.
Stress is a second order tensor. web page

19) Fri. Feb. 23 "Reaction-diffusion systems" & other mechanisms to generate spatial patterns web page

20) Mon. Feb. 26 Symmetry concepts that help explain embryological phenomena see web page for Feb. 21

21) Wed. Feb. 28 Limb bud development (arms and legs and wings and fins) web page

22) Fri. March 2 Birth defects and other medical aspects of animal embryology

23) Mon. March 5 Second Exam review questions

24) Wed. March 7 Developmental mechanisms web page

25) Fri. March 9 Developmental mechanisms, continued

Spring Vacation March 12, 14, 16

26) Mon. March 19 Cellular slime molds as a useful model for studying mechanisms of development web page

27) Wed. March 21 Cancer considered as resulting from misfunctioning embryological mechanisms web page

28) Fri. March 23 Embryonic development of the immune system & its relation to autoimmune disease web page

29) Mon. March 26 above topics continued

30) Wed. March 28 Nervous system; neural connections from the eye to the brain web page

31) Fri. March 30 above topics continued

32) Mon. April 2 above topics continued

33) Wed. April 4 above topics continued

Fri. April 6 Good Friday Holiday

34) Mon. April 9 Extraembryonic membranes web page

35) Wed. April 11 Sex determination web page

36) Fri. April 13 Third Exam review questions

37) Mon. April 16 Regeneration and asexual budding web page

38) Wed. April 18 Metamorphosis web page

39) Fri. April 20 Genetic screens of embryonic lethal genes in flies
Hox gene expression patterns web page

40) Mon. April 23 Aging may be programmed self-destruction, not just cumulative wear web page

41) Wed. April 25 "Evo-Devo": Relations between embryonic development and evolution web page

42) Fri. April 27 Human Birth defects and Future research topics

FINAL EXAMINATION Friday May Fourth 8:00 AM ! review questions

review questions on curvature, stress, and symmetry

answers to curvature etc. review questions


1) Wed. Jan 10	Major events of animal development	web page

2) Fri. Jan. 12	Compare embryology of sea urchin, frog, bird & mammal; similarities & differences	diagram

Mon. Jan 15	Holiday in honor of Rev Martin Luther King jr.


3) Wed. Jan. 17	Rule-generated pattern formation	web page

		handout on cellular automata

4) Fri. Jan. 19	Cell differentiation

5) Mon. Jan. 22	Fertilization	web page

6) Wed. Jan. 24	Organs that form from ectoderm	web page

7) Fri. Jan. 26	Organs that form from neural crest ectoderm	continuation of same web page

8) Mon. Jan. 29	Organs that form from somatic ectoderm	continuation of same web page

9) Wed. Jan. 31	Organs that form from mesoderm	web page

10) Fri. Feb. 2	Mesoderm, continued	continuation of same web page

11) Mon. Feb. 5	First Exam	review questions


12) Wed. Feb. 7	Development of male and female sex ducts, kidneys, coelom and heart	web page

13) Fri. Feb. 9	Development of Heart and Circulatory System, primordial cells	web page

14) Mon. Feb. 12	Development of endodermal organs, pharyngeal pouches, thyroid, lungs, etc. cloaca

15) Wed. Feb. 14	Skeletal development, cartilage and its replacement by bone

16) Fri. Feb. 16	Regulative development of embryos, as compared with "mosaic" development	web page

17) Mon. Feb. 19	Key concepts and methods in the history or embryology, and those used today

18) Wed. Feb. 21	Curvature times stress equals pressure difference. Stress is a second order tensor.	web page

19) Fri. Feb. 23	"Reaction-diffusion systems" & other mechanisms to generate spatial patterns	web page

20) Mon. Feb. 26	Symmetry concepts that help explain embryological phenomena	see web page for Feb. 21

21) Wed. Feb. 28	Limb bud development (arms and legs and wings and fins)	web page

22) Fri. March 2	Birth defects and other medical aspects of animal embryology

23) Mon. March 5	Second Exam	review questions



24) Wed. March 7	Developmental mechanisms	web page

25) Fri. March 9	Developmental mechanisms, continued

	Spring Vacation March 12, 14, 16

26) Mon. March 19	Cellular slime molds as a useful model for studying mechanisms of development	web page

27) Wed. March 21	Cancer considered as resulting from misfunctioning embryological mechanisms	web page

28) Fri. March 23	Embryonic development of the immune system & its relation to autoimmune disease	web page

29) Mon. March 26	above topics continued

30) Wed. March 28	Nervous system; neural connections from the eye to the brain	web page

31) Fri. March 30	above topics continued

32) Mon. April 2	above topics continued

33) Wed. April 4	above topics continued

Fri. April 6	Good Friday Holiday

34) Mon. April 9	Extraembryonic membranes	web page

35) Wed. April 11	Sex determination	web page

36) Fri. April 13	Third Exam	review questions




37) Mon. April 16	Regeneration and asexual budding	web page

38) Wed. April 18	Metamorphosis	web page

39) Fri. April 20	Genetic screens of embryonic lethal genes in flies Hox gene expression patterns	web page

40) Mon. April 23	Aging may be programmed self-destruction, not just cumulative wear	web page

41) Wed. April 25	"Evo-Devo": Relations between embryonic development and evolution	web page

42) Fri. April 27	Human Birth defects and Future research topics


	FINAL EXAMINATION Friday May Fourth 8:00 AM !	review questions

	review questions on curvature, stress, and symmetry
	answers to curvature etc. review questions