Testing hypotheses in developmental biology: find it, lose it, or move it

Hypothetical Process

Biological Processes

The expression "find it-lose it-or move it" has particular significance in the field of science known as developmental biology. This discipline is essentially the analysis of a process in which single cells divide into many cells to eventually engender a complicated being that is comprised of many cells through the expression of genes. The phrase "find it-lose it-or move it" refers to the three primary methods of testing and confirming hypotheses for developmental biology, which include the use of correlative evidence, the use of loss of function evidence, as well as the use of gain of function evidence. Each of these three methods provides an increasing level of efficacy in the confirmation of hypotheses related to developmental biology. However, they also represent an increasing level of difficulty required to use each of these methods.

In that respect, it is important to mention that correlative evidence is the least trustworthy of the types of accepted evidence for the confirmation of hypotheses in developmental biology, although it is also the least difficult methodology to actuate. Essentially, this method allows researchers to analyses the expression of differential genes to see if it is found within a tissue or some other substance. For example, if one were to raise an antibody to a certain type of protein and then perform immunocytochemistry, for instance, utilizing the aforementioned antibody on a specific embryo, if such a protein were not able to localize within a cell that had germ plasm then it could be confirmed (by the methodology of correlative evidence, that such a protein existent within such a cell that has germ plasm disallows the fragmentation of chromosomes.

The loss of function evidence is significantly more reliable than the employment of correlative evidence, but is also more difficult to perform. This methodology enables researchers to determine if a cell or a gene is vital for some developmental biological process since it requires them extracting whatever cell or gene might be in question, and then seeing if the process is still able to take place. For instance, a group of researchers was able to find that the tiny mitochondrial genome that exists in plants is essential for the replication of cells by removing the genome and seeing the lack of adequate functioning that was enabled with the mitochondrial genome present (Binder, Brinnicke, 2003, p. 181).