Spotlights

In this issue we turn the spotlight onto considerations of ethics in developmental biology.

The status of the human embryo in various religions

William Neaves briefly describes how several different religions perceive the human embryo, and considers how this might influence their view of human embryological research.

Interspecies chimeras for human stem cell research

Hideki Masaki and Hiromitsu Nakauchi discuss the potential of interspecies chimeras for human stem cell research, and the significant barriers and ethical issues surrounding their generation.

Featured article – A framework for understanding the roles of miRNAs in animal development

Chiara Alberti and Luisa Cochella review how different classes of miRNAs fit into the hierarchy of gene regulatory networks that control development, from early embryogenesis to cell differentiation.

Featured article – A toolkit for GFP-mediated tissue-specific protein degradation in C. elegans

Karen Oegema and colleagues reveal a simple method to target GFP-tagged proteins for proteasomal degradation enables spatially controlled protein elimination in C. elegans.

Transfer to Biology Open

If your submission to Development is unsuccessful, did you know you can transfer your paper and any reviews directly to our sister journal, Biology Open? The majority of papers transferred with reviews are accepted for publication. Find out how here.