Not too much, not too little: the embryo must find the right balance to develop

To form an organism, embryonic tissues must fold and move in a perfectly coordinated manner during gastrulation. In a study published in Nature Communications, scientists demonstrate, using Drosophila, that the internalization of the mesoderm does not depend solely on the forces it generates. It also requires precisely tuned resistance from neighboring tissues, whose intensity, location, and symmetry are critical.