Jennifer Mansfield, associate professor of biology, coauthored an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on a study identifying the microRNA essential to the development of vertebrae. Prof. Mansfield was part of a team that looked at how a certain microRNA family controls a gene that in turn controls how the backbones of vertebrates develop. The study sheds light on how the body shapes of different species may have evolved, and could eventually have implications for regenerative medicine.