Morphogen gradients are known to guide spatial patterning, but can they also encode time? Vetter and Iber propose that a co-expanding morphogen source generates transient signals, allowing cells to measure time without additional molecular clocks. The Sonic Hedgehog gradient in the mouse neural tube is used to show how this mechanism can act as a timer. Opposing gradients synchronize differentiation across the tissue, providing a simple, widely applicable strategy for coordinating space and time during development.

Morphogen gradients are known to guide spatial patterning, but can they also encode time? Vetter and Iber propose that a co-expanding morphogen source generates transient signals, allowing cells to me...

The evolution of multicellular organisms hinges on self-organization mechanisms that generate tissues with diverse functions. A central process is the breaking of symmetry to form spatial patterns fro...

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