Developmental biology has a long and rich history which has generated a vast and often daunting literature. In this series, we asked prominent researchers to recommend their favourite hidden gems from history – papers that are, for whatever reason, unjustly overlooked today.
Posted by Fatima Lozano , on 26 September 2025
I am an avid podcast listener, especially at the gym. Instead of fueling my reps with anger-fueled lyricism or upbeat songs that raise my bpm to 120, I noticed feeding …Posted by the Node , on 30 August 2022
Are you just starting out in your career as a developmental biologist (or feeling nostalgic for those times)? The vast amount of literature can feel a bit daunting when you …Posted by the Node , on 17 October 2017
T. Thomson Flynn and J.P. Hill. 1939. The Development of the Monotrema – Part IV. Growth of the Ovarian Ovum, Maturation, Fertilisation and Early Cleavage. Transactions of the Zoological Society …Posted by the Node , on 2 February 2017
Hörstadius, S. 1939. The mechanics of sea urchin development, studied by operative methods. Biological Reviews 14(2):132-179. Recommended by Bob Goldstein, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Sven Hörstadius …Posted by the Node , on 11 November 2016
R. S. P. Beddington (1981). An autoradiographic analysis of the potency of embryonic ectoderm in the 8th day postimplantation mouse embryo. Journal of Experimental Embryology and Morphology. 64: 87-10. Open Access R. …Posted by the Node , on 17 August 2016
de la Cruz, M.V., Sánchez-Gómez, C. & Palomino, M.A. (1989) The primitive cardiac regions in the straight tube heart (Stage 9–) and their anatomical expression in the mature heart: an …A mouse embryo schematic from Rosa Beddington, as featured in the forgotten classic recommended by Patrick Tam.
Do you have a forgotten classic you’d like to share with the community? We’d love to hear from you
Updated on 14 October 2021
© 2026. The Company of Biologists Ltd | Registered Charity 277992
Registered in England and Wales | Company Limited by Guarantee No 514735
Registered office: Bidder Building, Station Road, Histon, Cambridge CB24 9LF, UK