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Development of the Human Embryo

Scientists have studied the development of the human embryo and have determined the nature of that development with reference to the different systems of the body, individual organs, and anatomical features. Brain development has been given particular attention to ascertain how the brain first appears, when it begins operating as a part of the nervous system, and how fully it develops by the time of birth. Such an examination also involves determining when there may be problems with brain development and how to detect such problems.

To begin with, there is a certain arc of development for the entire organism, with a series of stages that can be determined and characterized as follows:

1. Immediately upon fertilization, cellular development begins.

2. At 20 days, the foundation of the entire nervous system has been laid down, including the beginning of brain development.

3. At 43 days, electrical brain wave patterns can be recorded, often seen as evidence that "thinking" is taking place in the brain.

4. At 56 days, all organs are functioningstomach, liver, kidney, brainand all systems are intact ("Chronology of a new human life," 1996, www.angelfire.com/ks/purplepandas/life.html).

Pregnancies are usually thought of in terms of trimesters, an easy division which also corresponds to developmental issues. The first trimester is a critical period in which most of the development of the various systems and organs is accomplished, with the brain appearing in the third week. In the fourth week, the process of organogenesis, or the formation of body organs, takes place. By the end of the fourth week of development, all the major organs have appeared, though all are not necessarily fully formed (Raven & Johnson, 1992, 1169).

This is the most complex period of development. It is characterized by the formation of all the organs and organ systems of the embryonic body. Each organ or organ system has a par...

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Development of the Human Embryo. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 10:33, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1703849.html