Developmental biologists Ruth Lehmann, PhD, of the Whitehead Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, James Priess, PhD, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Geraldine Seydoux, PhD, of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, have been pioneers in unraveling the mysteries behind the molecular mechanisms involved in the earliest stages of embryogenesis. Although working independently, the three scientists have together transformed the field of germ cell biology, the study of how germ cells (the precursors of eggs and sperm) faithfully transmit genetic information across generations–one of the most fundamental questions in genetics.
