Measuring the forces that sculpt embryos

Scientists are finding new ways to measure how squeezing, stretching, pushing and pulling forces shape the development of every tissue in the body. Tiny oil-encapsulated droplets can sense stresses inside live embryos and optical tweezers can push and pull cell membranes or organelles. Some researchers are developing contact-free alternatives such as the ‘foambryo’ algorithm, which models embryos as foams of bubble-like cells.