Biological ‘rosetta stone’ brings scientists closer to deciphering how the body is built

Every animal contains in their genome pieces of DNA called Hox genes. Architects of the body, these genes are keepers of the body’s blueprints. Scientists have long searched for a key to decoding this body map. Now researchers have found one such key: a method that can systematically identify the role each Hox gene plays in a developing fruit fly. Their results offer a new path forward for researchers hoping to make sense of a process that is equal parts chaotic and precise.