Abstract
As an embryo gastrulates or makes neural tissue it shortens across the dorso-ventral axis and extends dramatically along the perpendicular, antero-posterior axis, resulting in the embryo doubling in length. This process is known as convergent extension and it is so powerful in remodelling tissue that it is used time and again during development. New research in Drosophila melanogaster and other model organisms is shedding fresh light on how it happens.
