Zebrafish are easy to raise with a short generation time of three months. The developing embryos are easily studied under a dissecting microscope since they are transparent. Embryos develop rapidly, with a beating heart by 24 hours. The females can lay hundreds of eggs at weekly intervals. Rapid development of forward genetics and large-scale mutagenesis techniques has facilitated the use of zebrafish in advancing our understanding of body patterning, neurogenesis, organ development and many other areas.

Faculty working on fish:

Mice are the organism of choice for a mammalian model system. Their relatively short generation time, small size and large litters give them several advantages over other mammalian research organisms. Mice have been used to further our knowledge in many areas, including brain development and human disease. The availability of inbred strains and genetic approaches such as gene targeting and production of transgenics gives the mouse certain advantages over other vertebrate systems and has put the mouse at the forefront of mammalian developmental genetics.

Faculty working on mice: S. Burden, G. Fishell, C. Loomis, S. Schwab, D. Turnbull