This is a post by our guest writer Janelle Weaver, PhD

The formation of the heart during development is a highly complex process that requires precise coordination between cells and molecular signaling pathways. The fruit fly has been widely used for studying the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms, and a great deal is known about how the fate of heart cells is controlled by signaling pathways and transcription factors—proteins that control gene activity. But beyond that, events that regulate heart formation have not been clear. Continue reading “New insights into how the heart forms may help identify heart defects”